A  TENTATIVE  COURSE  OF 

STUDY  IN  ENGLISH 

With  a  Statement  of  Minimum  Requirements 
for  First,  Second,  Third,  and  Fourth  Grades; 
and  a  Statement  of  Minimum  Require- 
ments for  Fifth,  Sixth,  Seventh, 
and  Eighth  Grades. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINO!? 


A  TENTATIVE  COURSE  OF 

STUDY  IN  ENGLISH 

With  a  Statement  of  Minimum  Requirements 
for  First,  Second,  Third,  and  Fourth  Grades; 
and  a  Statement  of  Minimum  Require- 
ments for  Fifth,  Sixth,  Seventh, 
and  Eighth  Grades. 


1920 


LOUISVILLE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


\ 

V 


CON  TENTS 


English    5 

i-angnage — Kindergarten    28 

Minimum  Requirements  for  Kindergarten   32 

Language — First  Grade   34 

"^^inimum  Requirements  for  First  Grade   42 

Language — Second  Grade    48 

^  Minimum  Requirements  for  Second  Grade    58 

>j  Language— Third  Grade    61 

^  Minimum  Requirements  for  Third  Grade   82 

Language — Fourth  Grade    85 

Minimum  Requirements  for  Fourth  Grade    95 

^  Reading — A  General  Statement    99 

*  Lists  of  Supplementary  Readers  and  Texts  for  Primary  Grades   107 

V  Writing — Primary  Grades    110 

1  Spelling — Primary  Grades    116 

T  A  Statement  of  Minimum  Requirements  for  Fifth  Grade   129 

J  A  Statement  of  Minimum  Requirements  for  Sixth  Grade   132 

[HA  Statement  of  Minimum  Requirements  for  Seventh  Grade   135 

^  Statement  of  Minimum  Requirements  for  Eighth  Grade   138 

A  Book  List    124 


I 


» 333 1 72 


English 


lender  English  are  included  Language,  Reading,  Writing,  and 
Spelling.  English  from  this  point  of  view,  is  the  most  important 
subject  in  the  primar\'  curriculum. 

BASIS  OF  ORGANIZATION. 

1.  Sources  of  MatilKial.  Experiences  and  activities  from 
which  are  received  nipr(  ssions. 

('orrect  liahits  of  thought  established  through  the  directed 
experience. 

Meaxs  of  Expression.   Habits  of  thought  established  in 
re.ati(m  to  problem  of  finding  fitting  expression. 

Specific  habits  in  relation  to  the  mechanics,  the  formal  side 
of  the  subject  to  be  made  automatic. 

LANGUAGE. 

A  State nirnt  of  the  General  Aims  of  This  LatKjaage  (Jourse. 
(See  Mahoney,  Standards  in  English.) 

1.  "To  graduate  pupils  able  to  talk  or  recite  for  a  few 
minutes  in  an  interesting  way,  using  clean-cut  sentences  and 
good  enunciation. 

2.  "To  graduate  pupils  able  to  write  an  interesting  paragraph 
of  clean-cut  sentences,  unmarked  by  misspelled  words  and  by 
<'f)rnmon  grammatical  errors." 


6 


POINTS  THAT  REQUIRE  CONTINUAL  AND  CONTINUED 

ATTENTION. 

In  order  to  teach  successfully  the  language  of  any  one  grade, 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  know  the  work  of  all  grades. 

The  cultivation  of  the  sentence  sense  is  of  the  greatest 
importance  in  every  grade.  This  does  not  mean  that  children 
should  answer  in  complete  statements  when  it  is  unnatural  to 
do  so. 

Every  subject  in  the  primary  curriculum,  every  phase  of 
child  activity  is  a  source  of  language.  Every  lesson  dealing 
with  content  subjects  is  an  excellent  opportunity  for  exercise 
in  good  English.  This  is  particularly  true  if  the  expression  is 
clear,  logical,  concise,  the  result  of  an  effort  to  give  to  the  other 
members  of  the  group  a  thought  related  to  some  point  in  which 
all  are  interested. 

The  Social  Situation  in  Relation  to  Language  Teaching, 
With  the  teacher  a  leader  and  yet  a  member  of  the  group,  the 
spirit  should  be  that  of  exchange  of  thought  in  relation  to  some 
topic  that  the  child  feels  is  of  value  to  himself  and  to  the  other 
members  of  the  group. 

Class  Arrangement.  In  class  discussions,  much  depends 
upon  the  arrangement  of  the  group.  The  children  should  be  so 
seated  or  so  standing  that  the  child  who  is  talking  may  be  seen 
by  every  member  of  the  group.  Insist  upon  clear  statements, 
distinct  enunciation  and  that  every  child  in  the  class  should 
hear  all  that  is  said.  The  members  of  the  group  should  be 
responsible  for  the  contribution  of  each  individual  member. 

Language  must  be  taught.  It  is  as  definite  in  its  requirements 
•  as  is  an  arithmetic  lesson.  Simply  telling  and  retelling  stories  to 
children  is  not  constructive  language  work. 

There  should  be  a  period  in  the  day's  work  devoted  to  the 
constructive  phase  of  English. 

The  teacher  should  have  a  purpose.  She  should  have  her 
lesson  clearly  outlined. 

The  child  should  have  a  motive.  There  should  be  an  effort 
to  get  the  most  fitting  sentence  or  expression  for  that  purpose. 


ENGLISH 


T 


Form  the  habit  of  getting  the  essential  points  in  each  story. 
Avoid  all  unnecessary  repetition  of  words. 

Thorough  oral  preparation  should  precede  all  written  work. 
Skillful  teaching  will  eliminate  many  possibilities  of  errors. 
Avoid  the  misspelling  of  words,  having  the  children  think  of  the 
words  they  expect  to  use  before  they  begin.  Write  those  words 
for  them. 

All  written  work  should  be  carefully  supervised  by  the 
teacher.  In  order  that  this  may  be  done,  avoid  exercises  that 
are  too  lengthy.   Have  many  brief  exercises  at  the  blackboard. 

Whenever  possible,  use  the  written  work  of  the  child  in 
some  vi-ay.  Have  him  feel  that  it  is  permanent — worthy  of  effort. 
Never  allow  any  of  his  work  to  be  thrust  into  his  desk,  to 
accumulate  as  material  for  the  waste  basket.  The  effect  is 
disastrous. 

Punctuation,  capitalization,  margin,  indention  of  paragraphs 
— all  correct  forms  of  written  language  should  be  carefully 
observed  and  variations  should  never  be  allowed. 

From  the  beginning  the  child  can  be  asked  to  see  that 
punctuation  is  based  upon  the  thought  implied. 

Beginning  with  the  first  year,  select  the  most  common  errors 
in  English.  Drill  upon  one  at  a  time,  using  games  and  other 
devices. 

A  very  important  phase  of  English  is  increasing  the  child's 
vocabulary.  This  may  be  done  by  the  teacher  using  new  words 
in  such  a  way  that  the  children  will  get  the  meaning  of  the  words 
from  the  context. 

The  new  words  found  in  the  reading  material  should  be  so 
mastered  that  they  become  a  part  of  the  child's  speaking 
vocabulary.  When  a  new  word  is  needed  for  the  expression 
of  a  thought,  give  the  child  the  fitting  word. 

As  early  as  the  second  year,  children  should  be  trained  to 
use  informal  topical  outlines.    Emphasize  correct  sequence. 

Begin  in  the  kindergarten  and  continue  throughout  the 
grades,  training  in  appreciation  of  beautiful  forms  of  expression 
in  prose  and  poetry. 


8 


ENGLISH 


In  all  of  the  primary  grades,  carefully  planned  and  skillfully 
directed  oral  work  should  form  the  major  part  of  the  language 
training. 

The  teacher  should  consciously  strive  to  give  the  children 
models  of  clear,  concise  expression.  There  should  be  exercises 
in  imitating  "style  of  construction".  This  does  not  mean 
imitation  of  thought  and  words.  (See  Mahoney,  Standards  in 
English  for  excellent  short  stories,  using  short  sentences.) 

Begin  in  the  kindergarten,  and  continue  training  in  the 
recognition  of  excellent  points  in  the  work  of  other  members  of 
the  group.  Adverse  criticism  should  be  followed  invariably  by 
helpful,  constructive  criticism. 

Errors  of  speech  should  receive  correction  throughout  the 
grades.  Minimum  requirements  are  stated  in  the  outline  for 
each  grade,  beginning  with  the  kindergarten. 

Children  of  different  localities  have  various  faults  in  English. 
The  teacher  should  make  a  note  of  these  characteristic  mistakes 
and  drill  in  the  correct  expression.  Drill  upon  one  mistake  at 
a  time,  using  games  and  other  devices. 

The  Louisville  Normal  School  has  made  a  study  of  the  more 
common  errors  in  pupils '  written  English  in  the  grades.  Primary 
teachers  are  referred  to  this  study,  as  it  may  be  suggestive  of  a 
type  of  procedure,  should  other  schools  wish  to  make  a  smiliar 
study.  This  study  is  also  indicative,  in  a  general  way,  of  the 
usual  mistakes  of  the  elementary  grade  children.  See  page  140. 

SOURCES  OF  MATERIAL  FOR  TRAINING  IN 
,  LANGUAGE. 

1.  Social  Experiences. 

2.  Nature  Experiences. 

3.  History  Experiences.     (See  Course  of  Study  by  Louisville 

Normal  School.) 

4.  Geography.     (See  Course  of  Study  by  Louisville  Normal 

School.  Mimeographed  copy,  October,  1919.) 

5.  Industrial  Experiences.    (See  suggestions  in  separate  outline 

for  industrial  work.) 


ENGLISH 


9 


6.  Pictures.    (See  suggestions  in  separate  outline  for  drawing.) 

7.  Music.    One  of  the   most  important  of   all  the   means  of 

impression  and  expression. 
Songs  and  rhythmic  work,  exercises  in  distinct  enunciation, 
should  be  used   in  relation  to  many   phases  of  school 
activity.    This  does  much  to  strengthen  the  English  of 
the  primary  grades. 

8.  Literature. 

THE  PROJECT  PLAN. 

The  tyfx^  of  procedure  that  involves  tiie  consideration  of 
large  units  of  thought,  affords  because  of  the  continuity  involved, 
and  the  sustained  interest,  a  natural  opportunity  for  training 
in  oral  and  written  expression.  In  the  Louisville  Normal  School 
Extension  (Mass  in  Primary  English,  1918-1919,  a  number  of 
projects  that  involved  oral  and  written  English  were  tested  and 
reported  by  the  mem])ers  of  the  class. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  pos,4ibilities  involved  in  relation  to 
tlie  teaching  of  English,  several  of  these  projects  are  given. 

TYPICAL  PROJECTS. 

PrO.JIX'T  for  Foi'KTH  (iKADK. 

Miss  Mary  Miuj  Wijniond  and  a  Student  Teacher, 
Louisrilh  Xonn(U  School. 

Two  of  my  })oys  asked  very  earnestly  one  day:  ''Miss   , 

if  dew  falls,  why  can't  we  see  it?  Does  it  really  fall?" 

I  decided  to  let  them  answer  their  own  question  through  a 
series  of  experiments.  T  told  them  that  this  was  a  very  interesting 
question,  and,  if  they  liked,  all  the  class  and  f  would  help  them 
answer  it. 

The  children  knew  that  water  evaporated.  They  learned 
that  fact  from  ex})erience  in  the  Third  Grade. 


10 


ENGLISH 


Experiment  I. 

To  recall  that  water  evaporated  when  it  was  heated : 

We  boiled  water  in  a  pan  over  a  flame.  The  children  knew 
that  the  water  evaporated.  They  noticed  that  the  water  vapor 
was  not  visible  just  above  the  pan,  but  a  short  distance  above. 

The  class  related  the  experiment;  they  accounted  for  what 
they  had  seen.  The  next  day  they  told  what  they  saw  at  home. 
We  put  questions  on  the  board  to  guide  the  writing,  because  the 
class  is  weak.  The  children  wrote  what  they  had  discussed.  We 
hope  to  make  a  booklet  of  these  exercises. 

We  have  discussed  each  experiment  and  have  written  each 
one  up  very  carefully. 

Experiment  II. 

To  show  that  sunshine  and  air  evaporate  water : 
We  placed  cups  of  water,  each  containing  the  same  amount^ 
in  the  sunshine  and  shade.    We  compared  results. 

Experiment  III. 

We  placed  a  tumbler  and  a  saucer,  each  containing  the  same 
amount  of  water,  to  see  which  evaporated  more  quickly.  In 
each  of  these  experiments  we  noticed  the  invisibility  of  vapor. 

We  were  then  ready  for  condensation  experiments.  We 
discussed  where  vapor  came  from.  The  children  had  all  noticed 
the  evaporation  of  the  water  in  the  tadpole  jar  and  from  water 
spilled  on  the  floor. 

We  asked  how  they  knew  that  vapor  was  in  the  air ;  a  lively 
discussion  followed.  The  idea  was  prevalent  that  if  there  were 
no  vapor  in  the  air  we  should  all  die.  By  insisting  on  their 
answering  the  question,  we  got  them  to  think  along  the  right 
line.  Some  of  the  boys  told  how  frost  collected  on  the  pipes 
in  the  ice  house.  We  then  asked  if  we  could  prove  the  presence 
of  water  vapor  in  our  own  room.  Various  experiments  were 
suggested  and  rejected  by  the  children.  We  left  them  with  the 
question  until  the  next  day. 


ENGLISH 


11 


The  next  day  one  boy  reported  that  at  supper  the  outside 
of  the  glass  of  iced  water  became  wet.  This  experiment  was 
performed  in  class. 

We  watched  the  condensation  of  vapor  from  a  pan  of  boiling- 
water  on  a  cold,  dry  surface. 

We  plan  to  note  the  condensation  of  vapor  given  off  by  a 
plant  in  soil,  and  a  plant  so  protected  that  the  vapor  given  off^ 
by  the  soil  will  not  be  condensed  on  the  jar. 

We  shall  discuss  these  questions: 

Under  what  conditions  does  water  evaporate?  What  makes 
it  condense  ?  Can  you  now  tell  where  the  dew  comes  from  ?  Why 
do  we  find  dew  on  summer  mornings? 

We  shall  discuss  rain;  we  hope  to  illustrate  the  principle  of 
condensation  and  falling  through  the  air. 

This  series  of  lessons  has  been  very  valuable.  The  children 
have  had  something  interesting  to  discuss,  and  they  have 
discussed  it  freely.  They  have  had  to  work  hard  for  the  written 
English,  but  they  have  enjoyed  it. 

A  PROJECT. 

By  Mrs.  Adelaide  S.  Whiteside  and  M'lss  L.  Bersot, 
Prentice  School. 

(Note:  This  school  is  practically  a  social  center.) 

(x\n  account  of  the  details  of  this  project  is  on  file  for  any 
teacher  who  is  interested.) 

Laundry. 

Sitnafion:  Red  ('ross  required  articles  to  l)e  laundered. 

Teacher's  Aims:  To  teach  the  child  the  joy  of  service, 
the  dignity  of  manual  labor  through  service  for  others, 
the  care  of  his  own  clothes,  and  to  provide  a  source  of 
natural  expression  in  oral  and  written  English. 

Child's  Motive:  To  launder  Red  Cross  articles. 

Approach:  The  felt  need  for  laundering  Red  Cross  articles  made 
in  sewing  class. 


12 


ENGLISH 


1.  Difficulties  to  be  met — Parent-Teachers'  meeting-  a 
month  off,  no  money  to  hire  it  done.  It  was  thought  not 
wise  to  send  them  to  the  children's  homes.  The  articles 
must  be  laundered  at  school. 

2.  Examination  and  assemblage  of  resources — willing 
hands  and  bowls  under  fountains  that  were  used  for  tubs. 
Children  brought  from  home  soap,  irons,  and  ironing 
boards.  (Toak  room  lined  from  hook  to  hook  (by  the 
boys)  for  drying.  Lunch  room  and  range  used  for  ironing. 

Preparation:  In  order  to  learn  the  best  way  to  launder  the 
articles  most  acceptably,  it  was  decided  that  it  was  necessary 
to  visit  a  laundry. 

1.  List  of  principal  laundries  of  Louisville. 

2.  Select  one  to  visit. 

E:rcursion: 

1.  Discussion :  Shall  permission  be  obtained  from 
manager  by  letter,  in  person,  or  by  telephone? 

2.  Arrange  time  for  the  visit. 

3.  Oral  discussion  preparatory  to  the  visit. 

4.  Discussion  after  the  visit. 
a.  Location — advantages. 
h.  Machinery. 

c.  Supplies — soap,  paper,  pins,  etc. 

d.  Processes. 

5.  Composition — narrative  (telling  about  visit).  Note 
of  thanks  to  the  manager. 

Jllstorij:  Find  out  how  different  nations,  individuals,  and  soldiers 
launder. 

1.  Through  research.  (Books,  pictures,  conversation 
with  parents,  observation.) 

2.  Through  reports  from  pupils  of  various  nation- 
alities. Reports  from  Roumania,  Turkey,  Mexico,  France, 
Alabama,  and  the  mountains  of  Kentucky.  Written 


ENGLISH 


13 


reports  were  compiled  of  all  the  various  ways  of 
launderino;  and  sent  to  the  parents  that  they  might  enjoy 
them. 

Geography :  Study  of  places  that  were  referred  to  in  the 
discussion  in  history  and  literature. 

Litfrature :  Poem,  "Sing  a  Song  of  Sixpence" — Mother  Goose. 
Story,  dramatized  "Nausica'' — Greek.  Oral  reproduction  of 
Greek  story.  Books  were  given  to  each  child  to  take  home 
and  read  the  story. 

Mathematics :  Laundry  lists  filled  out,  estimate  cost  of  finished 
work,  compare  with  cost  of  home  washing,  "rough  dried", 
and  wet  laundry.  Fractions  and  decimals  through  amount  of 
laundry  received.  Wages  applied  to  cost  of  living.  List  of 
average  wages  obtained  fnmi  manager. 

Spelling  anel  Enlargiiaj  the  Vocahiilarij :  Teach  such  words  as 
employ,  employer,  employment,  employee,  different,  nations, 
rinse,  finished,  soldiers,  machinery,  process,  manager,  laundry, 
duties,  public,  supplies,  lather. 

Science:  How  soaj)  is  made.  Source  of  starch,  use,  conservation. 
Test  for  starch.  Soften  hard  water  with  ammonia,  soda,  etc. 
Keep  soluti(m  in  bottles.  Gall  attention  to  the  danger  of 
having  these  articles  standing  about  carelessly. 

Art:  Study  of  pictures,  making  (covers  for  laundry  lists. 

Music:  "Rub-aJ)ub-I)ub." 

Social  Economics : 

Need  for  public  laundries. 
Need  for  community  laundries. 
Need  for  school  laundries. 

V^ocational  guidance — employees,  wages,  duties. 
Labor-saving    devices — water    and    electric  motors, 
manglers,  electric  washers,  wringers,  and  irons. 
Of)portunity  for  home  business. 

Domestic  Arts:  Processes  for  washing  and  ironing  cotton 
articles:  Two  suds,  one  rinse,  boil  soap  in  water  (boys  did 


14 


ENGLISH 


this).    One  child  said,  ''Mother  thinks  there  is  as  much  in 
the  rinse  as  in  the  suds."    This  leads  into  processes  for 
Avashing  woolens,  dry  cleaning,  and  home  dyeing. 
Mend  and  darn  before  washing. 

Composition — Exposition — process  of  washing. 

Letter  of  thanks  written  with  returned  picture  of 
mountain  women  washing. 

All  discussions  were  followed  by  short  paragraphs  on 
each  theme. 

A  PROJECT— MILK. 

By  Miss  Nora  Wellenvoss,  Salisbury  School. 

(This  was  outlined  in  relation  to  the  work  of  the  Science 
Class  of  the  Louisville  Normal  School  Extension  Course.  It  is 
given  in  detail,  as  it  involves  many  opportunities  for  English.) 

Aims:  To  impress  the  interdependence  of  farmer  and  merchant. 
Importance  of  drinking  milk. 
To  establish  good  food  habits. 

To  teach  processes  necessary  and  number  of  people 
engaged  for  our  health  and  welfare. 

To  take  advantage  of  all  opportunities  for  clear, 
concise  expression  in  oral  and  written  English. 

Approach:  A  careful  study  of  food,  emphasizing  the  following: 
Choice  of  foods. 

Good  food  for  growth — 
Cereals. 
Milk. 
Fruits. 
Vegetables. 
Eggs. 

Good  butter  and  bread. 

Poor  food — 
Tea. 
Coffee. 
Pies. 

Doughnuts. 


ENGLISH 


Well-balanced  menus — good  combinations. 
Eating  habits — 

Wash  hands  before  eating. 

Eat  slowly. 

Chew  food  well. 
(Posters  to  illustrate  the  above  points  used  to  advantage.) 

After  the  above  lessons,  the  questions  arose : 

Of  all  the  foods  that  we  have  talked  about,  which  food  will 
do  the  most  for  your  body? 
'  Milk. 

Whicli  food  will  make  you  have  strong  bones  and  strong 
muscles  ? 
Milk. 

Where  does  milk  come  from? 

What  happens  to  the  milk,  from  the  time  it  comes  from  the 
cow  until  we  drink  it? 

Is  there  a  place  we  could  go  to  find  out  about  this  ? 

Plan  a  Visit  to  a  Dairy. 

Letter  asking  permission  to  visit  a  large  dairy  farm  on  the 
Shelbyville  Pike. 

Oi'al  and  written  language. 

Fifteen  children  selected  by  the  class  to  visit  the  farm. 
(Limited  number  chosen  owing  to  the  expense  of  the  trip.) 

Assignment  by  Class  to  Selected  Group: 
Visit  a  dairy. 

Find  out  for  us  what  happens  to  the  milk,  from  the 
time  it  comes  from  the  cow  until  we  drink  it. 

Assignment  by  Teacher  to  the  Group: 

Be  prepared  to  tell  your  classmates  what  you  saw. 
You  may  supplement  your  talk  with  pictures  or 
blackboard  drawings. 


16 


ENGLISH 


Discuss: 

How  will  we  reach  the  farm  ? 
AVhich  is  the  cheapest  route? 

Information  Furnished  by  the  Teacher: 
Car  service — 

Fare  from  Salisbury  School  to  the  Interurban  Station 
(Third  and  Jeiferson  Streets),  five  cents. 

Fare  from  the  station  to  the  farm,  sixteen  cents. 
Cost  of  trip  going  out,  twenty-one  cents. 
Return  trip,  twenty-one  cents. 
Cost  of  the  whole  trip,  forty-two  cents ; 
or 

From  Salisbury  School  to  the  city  limits  (Crescent 
Hill),  five  cents. 

From  the  city  limits  to  the  dairy  farm,  fourteen  cents. 

Cost  of  the  trip  going  out,  nineteen  cents. 

Return  trip,  nineteen  cents. 

Cost  of  the  whole  trip,  thirty-eight  cents. 

A  saving  of  four  cents  for  each  person  by  riding  to  the 
city  limits  before  taking  the  Interurban  car. 

Mathematics:  How  much  Avill  we  save  for  fifteen  persons? 
Original  problems. 

Discuss:  Savings. 
Resolved: 

It  is  wise  to  consider  the  cost  of  a  trip.  Find  the 
the  shortest  way  and  the  least  expensive. 

Money  for  the  Trip: 

Each  child  brought  ten  cents,  and  the  remainder, 
through  the  kindness  of  Miss  Yunker  and  of  Mr.  Bell,  was 
furnished  from  the  Salisburg  Garden  Club  bank  account. 
Letter  of  thanks  to  show  appreciation  sent  to  Miss  Yunker. 


ENGLISH 


17 


Trip  on  Walnut  Street  Car  From  Twenty-second  Street  to  the 
City  Limits: 

AYliat  we  saw  in  the  city — 
Streets. 

Houses  close  together. 

Busy  section  of  the  city.    Fourth  Avenue. 

Beargrass  Creek. 

Crescent  Hill. 

Library  (Branch). 

Water  Works. 

Trip  on  the  Interurhan  Ceir: 

What  we  saw  in  the  country — 
Compare  cars. 

Houses  not  so  close  together. 

Barns. 

Trees. 

Cattle. 

Pasture  land. 

The  Dairy  Farm: 

Arrival — Station. 

Entrance.    Well  kept.    Stone  gate. 
Good  road  leading  to  tlio  ])firn. 
Fields- 
Clover, 

Corn,  Food  for  cattle  when 

Millet,  <>rass  is  scarce. 

Timothy, 
Alfalfa. 

These  grasses  grown  and  harvested  by  farmers. 
Why  does  the  farmer  raise  the  above  grasses? 
Pasture — 

Rolling  land. 

Creek, 

Spring, 

Source  of  water, 
Spring  house. 


18 


ENGLISH 


Trees- 
Shade  for  the  cattle. 

The  Barn: 

Location — 

Air. 

Light. 
Windows — 

Sunshine. 

Cleanliness. 
Concrete  floor. 

Easily  washed. 
Overhead  truck  for  carrying  away  waste. 
Feeding  pens. 
Stalls.  Straw  bedding. 
Yoke  for  the  cows  head. 

Comfort  for  cow  considered. 

The  cow  can  move  her  head  up  and  down.  She 
can  also  lie  down. 

Iron  rod.    Separation.    No  cow  will  interfere 
with  her  neighbor. 

Silo:  ' 

Compare  with  mother's  Mason  jar. 

Preserve  food  for  cows. 

Built  of  what  material? 

Air-tight. 

How  filled? 

Chopped  corn.  Salt. 

Machine  used  to  cut  corn. 

The  Dairyman: 

Clean  appearance. 

White  coat  and  cap  (washable). 

Kindness  shown  to  the  cows  by  the  dairyman. 


Cows: 

Jersey — tan;  rich  milk. 
Holstein — black  and  white ;  great  quantity  of  milk. 


ENGLISH 


Care  of  the  Cows: 
Washed. 
Brushed. 
Combed. 

Care  during  the  summer. 
Care  during  the  winter. 
Food  in  the  summer. 
Food  in  the  winter. 

Calves: 

Not  kept  with  the  mothers. 

Food- 
Milk  until  one  year  old. 
Fed  from  a  bucket  by  the  dairyman. 

Care  of  the  Calves: 
Washed. 
Brushed. 
Combed. 

Discuss : 

What  doQs  the  farmer  do  with  his  milk? 
Uses  it. 
Sells  it. 

Sends  it  to  the  city  to  the  creameries. 
Transportation — 

Cars  (interurban) . 
Trains  (milk  trains). 
Trucks. 

Importance  of  good  roads. 

Roads  over  whir-h  milk  is  sent  to  Louisville — 
Bardstowii 
Shelbyville. 

Eighteenth-street  Road. 
From  Bloomfield. 
From  New  Albany. 

Discuss : 

What  does  the  manager  of  the  creamery  do 'with 
milk  when  he  receives  it? 


20 


ENGLISH 


Plan  a  Visit  to  a  Creamery. 

Assignment: 

Find  out  what  is  done  with  the  milk  before  it  is  placed 
in  bottles  and  delivered  at  our  kitchen  doors. 
Find  out — 

How  butter  is  made. 
How  cheese  is  made. 
Letter  asking  permission  to  visit  a  creamery. 
Oral  and  written  language. 

Preparation  for  the  Trip: 
Cost. 

How  will  we  8'et  to  the  creamery? 
Cars  needed. 
Transfer.  Where? 

Arrival  at  the  Creamery. 
Cordial  welcome. 

Trip  Through  the  Creamery: 
Empty  bottles — 
Washed. 

Sterilized  to  kill  germs. 
Machinery — 

Speed  and  ease  with  which  bottles  are  taken 
from  the  basement  to  tlie  first  and  second  floors. 

What  Is  Done  With  the  Milkf 

Cans — shape,  cover,  no  flies. 

Weighed. 

Strained. 

Pasteurized— milk  placed  in  large  tanks.  Heated 
(145^)  from  t\\(Mit\-  to  thirty  minutes.  All  disease  germs 
killed. 

Cooled — 
Quickl}'. 

Milk  from  vats  passes  through  chilled  pipes. 


ENGLISH 


21 


Bottled— 

Machinery  used. 

People  employ  ed. 
Placed  in  a  cold  room. 
Later  delivered  to  customers. 

Buffer  Maki)ifj: 

Vne  of  separator  at  farm. 
Cream — 

Placed  in  vats. 

Heated. 

Barrel  churn. 

Compare  present  method  of  making  butter  with  old  method. 
Old  churn — picture,  "Woman  Churnino-, Millet. 

('hur)i : 

Sliakin^i' — 

Machinery. 

Time  required. 
Milk  leaves  butter. 
Buttermilk. 

Butter  washed  (to  remove  milk). 
Salted  and  churned  again. 
Cut  into  blocks. 
Packed  in  cartons. 

Coftage  Chrrse: 

Value  as  food. 
•Easily  digested. 
Not  packed  like  cream  cheese. 
Water  leaves  the  milk  (whey). 
Curds  left  (cheese ) . 

('orrelafioii : 

Language — 

Stories  written  in  connection  with  i)roject. 
Placed  in  a  bookh't. 

Illustrated    with    ])ictures    cut    from  farm 
magazines,  papers. 


»22 


ENGLISH 


Poems — 

'^The  Brook/' 
^'The  Friendly  Cow." 
Thank  Yon,  Pretty  Cow." 

Art:  Decorate  cover  of  booklet. 
Use  crayons. 
Cows. 

Conntry  scene. 

Music:  Son^,  "The  Brook." — Progressive  Mnsic  Cronrse,  page  12. 

Spelling:  New  words  nsed  in  connection  with  study  of  the 
project. 

Reading:  Books  selected  from  Library  containing  stories  bearing 
upon  project. 

These  books  also  contain  stories  about — 
Soil. 
Water. 
Trees. 
Birds. 

These  stories  clinched  and  clarified  points  made  in 
previous  lessons. 

Matheniatics:  Problems. 
Price  of  milk. 
Price  of  cream. 

Measures — pint,  quart,  gallon. 

Multiples  2,  4,  8  reverses. 
Use  of  scale — ounce,  pound. 
Cost  of  transportation. 
Price  of  butter — 

One  pound. 

One-half  pound. 

One-quarter  pound. 
Number  of  people  employed  in  a  dairy. 
Discuss  profit. 

How  much  milk  does  a  cow  give  in  one  day? 
In  a  week?  etc. 


ENGLISH 


23 


Construction  Work: 

Draw  a  plan  to  show  how  you  think  the  sand  table 
should  look  to  show  points  of  interest  that  were  seen  at  the 
dairy  farm. 

Reproduce  farm  in  the  sand  table. 

Paper  Cutting: 
Booklet. 
Crayons. 

Make  pictures  to  tell  the  story  of  your  trip  to 
the  farm. 

Collection  of  pictures  from — 
Farm  magazines. 
Dair}^  magazines. 
Country  life. 

Mounted  and  placed  in  the  room. 

Experiment  in  Connection  with  the  Milk  Project. 

Making  butter  (Used  kitchen  in  the  school  building). 

Preparation: 

Clean  hands. 
Apron — 

Cleanliness. 
Protection  of  clothes. 

Materials: 

Mason  jar. 

One  pint  of  sour  cream. 
Procedure: 

Mason  jar  washed  with  warm  water  and  soap. 
Jar  sterilized  to  kill  germs. 
Cream  placed  in  jar. 

Shaking  the  jar.  (Each  child  given  an  opportunity 
to  shake  the  jar.) 

Butter  placed  in  bowl. 

Butter  washed  with  cold  water. 

Salted  and  beaten. 

Spread  on  crackers  and  eaten. 


24' 


ENGLISH 


Buttermilk  remained.  Each  child  <iive7i  a  taste. 
Time  required  to  make  the  butter  (telling"  time)  : 

AVe  began  to  shake  the  jai^  at  ten  minutes  to  eleven — 
butter  finished  at  ten  minutes  after  eleven. 

Time :  Tw^ent.y  minutes  to  churn. 
How  much  butter  did  we  get  from  one  ])int  of  cream? 
How  much  did  one  pint  of  cream  weigh? 
How  can  you  find  out? 
Use  of  scales : 

Mason  jar  weighed  one  pound. 

Mason  jar  and  cream  weighed  two  pounds;  then  the 
cream  weighed  one  pound. 
Bowl  weighed  six  ounces. 

Bowl  and  butter  weighed  eighteen  ounces ;  then  the 
butter  weighed  tAvelve  ounces. 

Result :  Twelve  ounces  of  good,  fresh  butter  were  made 
from  one  pound  of  cream. 

STORIES. 

Poems. 

The  Story :  Its 'Purpose : 

Acquaintance  with  good  literature  and  the  formation 
of  the  habit  of  caring  for  good  literature. 
Enjoyment. 

The  foundation  of  ideals  of  life  and  conduct. 
In  its  relation  to  the  teaching  of  English,  a  means  of 
gaining  more  control  of  adequate,  fitting  expression. 

Motive.  From  the  Chilel's  Foiiit  of  \^ieu': 
Social. 

A  desire  to  li(^ai'  somctliiim'  int(M*csting. 
A  desire  to  tell  something  interesting. 
Dramatization. 

Basis  of  Selection  of  Story  Material: 
Be  guided  by  the  following: 
Give  the  children — 
"What  is  good. 


ENGLISH 


25 


••What  they  like. 
''What  we  like." 

♦  The  story  must   be  suited   to   tlie   chiUrs   experience  and 

eomprehensiou. 

It  must  be  simple  in  thought,  structure,  and  language. 

It  should  be  related  to  child  life.  (This  does  not  mean  that 
the  material  must  necessarily  be  ahojit  children.)  Children  are 
also  interested  in  the  activities  of  grown  people,  if  within  their 
comprehension. 

The  story  shouhl  be  dramatic.  There  should  be  much  action 
in  close  seriuence. 

The  climax  should  be  happy.  ♦ 

As  material  for  oral  or  written  laiiguag(\  it  sliould  stimulate 
a  desire  for  expression. 

Method — Suggestions.  .V waken  a  desire  for  ex])ression.  Have 
the  child  learn  the  story  hero  by  living  with  his  life,  imitating 
it.  Chubb  i^laces  much  emphasis  on  imitation  in  a  broad  sense. 
He  says  that  this  begins  with  the  cradle  song  and  the  Mother 
Goose  Melodies.  We  should  create  tlie  spiritual  enviroinnent  of 
the  child. 

Remember  that  the  child  is  ' '  poly-ex))ressi()iiar Various 
motor  activities  may  help  iu  the  expression  work  aiul  emphasize 
the  oral  P^nglish. 

Dramatization  may  ))e  of  much  use  in  this  way.  In  pi-escnting 
a  story,  or  in  conversation,  the  teacher's  language  should  be  the 
model. 

In  telling  the  story,  kcM'p  in  mind  the  elements  of  unity, 
variety,  surprise,  suspense,  and  climax. 

In  developing  the  "linguistic  conscience",  substitute  the 
correct  expression  when  a  mistake  is  made,  providing  that  it  is 
so  skillfully  done  that  the  child  will  not  be  embarrassed  in  his 
effort  to  express  the  thought.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  make  a  note 
of  mistakes  in  English  and  |)rovide  abundant  opportunity  for 
the  repeated  use  of  the  cf)rrect  expression. 

In  presenting  a  story,  work  for  logical  arrangement  and 
sequence  of  thought.    In  telling  a  story,  it  is  helpfid  to  have  the 


26 


ENGLISH 


children  give  the  account  of  what  was  done  in  the  proper  order, 
just  as  the  thing  happened.  The  question^ — "What  happened 
next"' — will  help.  A  logical  arrangement  of  topics  to  which  the  ^ 
child  is  held  will  be  helpful.  This  may  form  the  basis  for  oral 
paragraphing.  The  children  may  be  led  to  give  their  own  topics 
in  logical  Sequence. 

Train  the  children  in  making  personal  applications  of  the 
interpretation  of  the  content  and  character  of  the  story. 

Take  advantage  of  the  children's  joy  in  making  rhymes  and 
verses.  Use  these  contributions  in  such  a  way  that  the  child  will 
feel  that  his  own  effort  has  been  worth  while. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  point,  Miss  Alice  Porter,  of  the 
Louisville  Normal  School  (IB  Grade),  gives  this: 

One  day  a  butterflj^  emerged  from  the  cocoon  which  the 
children  had  been  watching.  The  butterfi}^  poised  on  the  edge 
of  the  flower  box,  then  flew  out  the  window  and  lighted  on  a 
clover.  The  children  asked  the  teacher  to  sing  a  song  about  the 
butterfly,  but  the  teacher  said  that  she  knew  of  no  song  of.  that 
kind.  A  little  bo}^  suggested  that  they  write  one,  and  the 
folloAving  is  the  result : 

A  butterfly  likes  to  fly, 

He  likes  to  sit  in  the  clover. 
He  likes  to  fly,  up  to  the  sky, 

When  his  dinner  is  over. 

Poems.  In  all  grades  teach  poems  in  relation  to  nature,  home, 
and  social  experiences.  Many  poems  should  be  used  in  this  way 
for  enjoyment  and  appreciation.  The  teacher  and  children 
should  select  from  recognized  sources. 

In  order  that  some  poems  may  be  made  a  permanent 
possession,  a  list  of  poems  has  been  selected  for  each  grade.  (See 
list — outline  for  each  grade.) 

Beginning  with  the  Kindergarten,  memorize  at  least  ten  of 
the  poems  listed.  Review  in  each  grade  the  poems  of  all 
preceding  grades,  adding  the  new  poems  for  which  the  present 
grade  is  responsible. 


ENGLISH 


27 


By  the  time  that  the  child  has  finished  the  elementary  school 
he  should  have  a  permanent  possession  of  good  literature. 

Note, — Attention  is  again  called  to  the  fact  that  much 
reference  material  and  story  material  are  giyen  in  order  to 
indicate  the  type — the  basis  of  selection  in  each  grade,  not  the 
number  of  stories  to  be  told. 

A  few  stories  well  told  and  properly  used  as  the  basis  of 
constructive  work  are  more  valuable  than  many  from  which  the 
child  gains  no  real  power. 


Kindergarten 


LANGUAGE. 

As,  ''Good  English  is  a  habit.  It  must  be  mastered  by 
practice,  not  by  rule,"  the  school  should  begin  in  the  Kinder- 
garten the  struggle  for  the  mastery  of  good  English. 

Study  the  General  Statement,  and  the  outlines  for  the  entire 
elementary  course  to  get  an  intelligent  point  of  view  for  the 
work  of  the  kindergarten. 

Special  Aims. 

To  provide  situations  that  will  encourage  the  child  to  talk 
spontaneously  in  relation  to  something  that  is  worth  while  from 
his  own  point  of  view. 

To  begin,  kindly  but  firmly,  to  teach  the  child  to  hold  to  the 
point  in  his  discussions. 

To  start  the  training  in  organization  of  thought  and 
expression  by  holding  to  simple  sequence  of  ideas  in  relation  to 
discussion  of  plans  for  play,  games,  dramatization,  stories,  and 
the  various  types  of  projects  in  relation  to  constructive 
expression. 

To  make  a  beginning  in  securing  pure,  clear  tones,  distinct 
enunciation,  and  correct  pronuuciation.  This  should  be  done  by 
having  the  child  see  the  necessity  of  giving  his  thoughts  to  the 
other  members  of  the  group  in  such  a  way  that  he  will  be 
understood. 

To  start  the  campaign  for  better  forms  of  speech.  This 
should  })e  done  through  the  substitution  of  the  correct  form  of 
expression.  In  a  thoroughly  sympathetic  and  unobtrusive  way, 
this  can  be  done  without  making  the  child  self-conscious. 


KINDEEGAETEN 


29 


Sources  of  Language  Material. 

The  folloAving  large  units  of  thought  are  common  to  the 
Kindergarten  and  the  First  Grade.  The  children  in  the 
elementary  grades  can  do  much  in  co-operating  with  the  Kinder- 
garten in  the  enrichment  of  these  subjects.  This  is  particularly 
true  in  constructive  expression.  (See  mimeographed  copy, 
Tentative  Outline  in  Constructive  Expression.") 

General  Topics;  the  Child's  Experience  in  the  Kindergarten  and 
Outside  of  the  Kindergarten. 

Life  in  the  home. 
Sources  of  food. 

Seasonal  activities  and  interests. 
Life  in  the  school. 
Occupations  related  to  clothing. 
Construction  in  relation  to  projects. 
Music. 

Art — pictures. 

Literature.  ' 

Stories — see  suggestion  in  General  Statement. 

A  list  of  stories — preparation  for  succeeding  grades: 

The  Gingerbread  Boy. 

The  Old  Woman  and  the  Pig. 

The  Three  Pigs. 

The  Sun  and  the  Wind. 

The  Little  Red  Hen. 

The  Old  Gray  Horse  (TIk^  Bell  of  Atri). 

Peter  Ptabbit. 

The  Billy  Goats  Gruff. 

Little  Black  Sambo. 

The  Three  Bears. 

The  Lion  and  the  Mouse. 

The  Shoemaker  and  the  Elves. 

Little  Samuel. 


30 


KINDERGARTEN 


A  List  of  Poems. 

Teach  at  least  ten  of  these  poems.  Enter  into  this  in  a  spirit 
of  enjoyment  and  play.  See  McMurry's  ''How  to  Study"  for 
a  general  idea  of  how  to  present  a  poem  from  the  thought  side, 
not  words. 

Pass  on  to  the  First  Grade  teacher  a  list  of  the  poems  that 
yon  have  taught. 

Teach  any  other  poems  that  co-ordinate  with  a  particular 
project.    Read  and  tell  stories  to  the  children. 

A  List  of  Poems. 

'Kindergarten — Review  in  First  Grade.) 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  The  Swing. — Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Time  to  Rise  (Birdie  With  a  Yellow  Bill). — 

Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Rain. — Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Sing  a  Song  of  Seasons. — Child 's  Garden  of 

Verse. 

Rosetti,  Christina :  The  Wind. — Art  Literature,  Book  1. 
Brown,  K.  L. :  Little  Plant  Seed. — Child's  Calendar  Beautiful. 
The  Real  Mother  Goose. 

From  the  German:  Lullaby  (Sleep,  Baby,  Sleep). — Poems  by 

Grades  ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Taylor,  Jane  :  Twinkle,  Twinkle,  Little  Star. — Poems  by  Grades ; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Taylor,  Jane :  Thank  You,  Pretty  Cow. — Modern  Music  Series 

Primer. 

Cooper,  George :  Come,  Little  Leaves. — Song  Stories  for  Kinder- 
garten. 

Alexander,  Mrs.  C.  T. :  All  Things  Bright  and  Beautiful. — Song 
Stories  for  Kindergarten. 

Hill,  Patty  S. :  God,  Our  Father,  Made  the  Light.— Song  Stories 
for  Kindergarten. 

Holland,  J.  C. :  Christmas  Song  (There's  a  Song  in  the  Air). 

Unknown:  The  Seed  (Little  Black,  Shining  and  Round). 

Unknown:  The  Sweet  Red  Rose  (Good  Morrow,  Pretty  Rose- 
bush ) . 


KINDERGAETEN 


31 


Rosetti,  Christina :  The  Stars. — Free  &  Treadwell ;  First  Reader. 
Rosetti,  Christina:  What  They  Do.— Free  &  Treadwell;  First 
Reader. 

Rosetti,  Christina :  Daisies. — Free  &  Treadwell ;  Second  Reader. 
Rosetti,  Christina:  What  is  Pink  (Select  from  the  Couplets). — 

Free  &  Treadwell ;  Second  Reader. 
Rosetti,  Christina:  Boats  Sail  on  Rivers  (First  Verse). — Free  & 

Treadwell;  Second  Reader. 
Madden,  Eva:  Cradle  Song. 

In  the  kindergarten  the  child  should  be  given  what  Sarah 
Louise  Arnold  has  called  ''The  Gift  of  the  Book".  Beautiful 
copies  of  children 's  books  and  pictures  should  be  a  highly-prized 
portion  of  the  equipment  of  every  Kindergarten. 

Make  a  special  point  of  the  proper  care  of  the  book. 

Awaken  a  wholesome  story  interest.  -Make  much  of  the 
ability  of  the  lA,  Second,  and  Third  Grade  children  to  read 
their  own  stories.  Through  conversation,  awaken  an  interest  in 
the  pictures.  When  the  interest  is  at  white  heat,  when  the 
children  are  eager  to  know  what  it's  all  about,  read  to  them; 
or,  for  a  change,  bring  into  the  Kindergarten  some  child  from 
the  Second  or  Third  Grade  to  read  the  story  to  the  children. 
The  teachers  of  the  primary  grades  will  find  it  wholesome  to  use 
the  privilege  of  reading  to  the  Kindergarten  children  as  an 
incentive  for  excellent  reading. 

IncreasuKj  the  Child's  Vocahtdary. 

Children  should  be  trained  to  talk  up  to  the  teacher's 
language.    She  should  never  talk  down  to  them. 

In  all  discussion  in  relation  to  any  project,  use  the  simple, 
appropriate  English  that  the  situation  requires.  When  it  is 
necessary  to  use  a  new  word,  use  it  in  such  a  way  that  the 
children  will  be  able  to  infer  its  meaning  through  the  context. 
Just  one  experience  with  the  unfamiliar  word  is  not  sufficient. 
Use  and  re-use  it  in  many  relations  until  the  children  have  made 
the  word  their  own.  This  procedure  begins  in  the  Kindergarten, 
and  it  should  continue  throughout  the  entire  elementary  course. 


32 


KINDERGARTEN 


TvdiiiiiKj  ill  ApprccidI Ion. 

Begin  ill  this  first  year  of  the  child's  school  life  to  train  the 
child  in  the  recognition  of  beautifnl  expression  in  prose  a,nd 
poetry.  Lead  the  children  to  select  the  harmonions.  Carry  the 
idea  of  the  "listening"  periods  in  music  into  the  literature.  Two 
or  three  minutes  of  this  each  day  will  mean  much  for  the  life-long 
enjoyment  of  the  children. 

Most  children  have  an  idea  of  the  function  of  written 
language  before  they  enter  the  kindergarten;  but  it  is  one  of 
the  opportunities  of  the  kindergarten  to  strengthen  and  clarify 
the  child's  conception  of  the  use  of  the  written  symbol.  This  is 
definite  preparation  for  the  primary  grades. 

The  First  Step  in  Letter  Writing. 

Children  dictate  a  letter  to  an  absent  schoolmate,  to  a  friend, 
or  to  the  children  of  one  of  the  elementary  grades.  The  teacher 
w^rites  the  h^ter  in  their  pi-esence,  and  arranges  that  the  children 
themselves  may  send  it. 

The  First  Step  in  Story  Writi)i(j. 

The  children,  for  instance,  send  a  picture  to  the  First  Grade 
children.  They  dictate  the  story  to  the  teacher,  who  writes  the 
story  and  sends  it  to  the  lU'inmry  grade. 

MiNiMiTM  Requirements  in  Technical  English. 

Dis tinct  E nu )ici(itio)i . 

Pay  esj)ecial  attention  to  talking  in  such  a  w^ay  that  the 
other  members  of  the  group  will  understand  what  is  said.  Work 
for  clear  tones.  Watch  the  distinct  sounding  of  the  initial 
consonant  and  the  final  consonant.    Sound  the  final  d  and  ing. 

Correct  Fronounciation. 
Such  words  as  window,  father,  catch. 

Forms  of  Speech. 

I  saw  it ;  I  ate  it ;  I  took  it ;  I  haven 't  any,  or  I  have  no. 
I  have  instead  of  I 've  got ;  may  I  ?  instead  of  can  I  ? 


KIXDERGAETEN 


33 


Polite  Forms  of  Speech,  as — 

Good  moniiiio',  ]\[iss  . 

Good  afternoon,  ]\Iiss   . 

Good  bye,  Miss   . 

Yes,  Miss   . 

No,  Miss   . 

Please  excuse  me. 
I  beg  your  pardon. 
I  thank  yon. 
If  3^ou  please. 


First  Grade 


LANGUAGE. 

The  points  included  in  the  General  Statement  of  this  course 
have  a  direct  bearing  upon  the  work  of  this  grade.  Study  the 
General  Statement,  and  particularly  the  work  of  the  kindergarten 
and  that  of  all  the  succeeding  grades. 

Statement  of  Aims. 
(See  Standards  in  English — Mahoney.)  . 

a.  To  encourage  children  to  talk  freely  about  things  in  which 
they  are  interested. 

1).  To  secure  distinct  articulation  and  a  natural  speaking 
tone. 

c.  To  correct  the  errors  of  speech  assigned  in  the  grade 
outline. 

d.  To  make  a  heginning  in  securing  the  "sentence  sense". 

The  sources  of  language  have  been  indicated  in  the  general 
statement  under  English.  In  the  First  Grade,  geography, 
history,  nature,  and  hygiene  are  used  as  the  basis  of  one  type  of 
language  work.  (See  mimeographed  bulletin,  Courses  of  Study 
in  Geography  and  History,  by  the  Louisville  Normal  School.) 

They  are  considered  source  material  for  oral  expression. 

Other  Sources  of  Language  Material:  Social  experiences, 
games,  plays,  occupations.    Home  and  school  activities. 

The  child  in  simple  economic  relations  to  the  various  people 
who  supply  his  needs. 

Games:  After  playing  a  game,  tell  m  correct  sequence  how 
the  game  is  played.   What  is  done  first;  next. 

Tell  some  child  who  was  not  present  when  the  game  Avas 
played  so  that  he  may  join  the  others. 


FIRST  GRADE 


35 


Occupations:  After  making-  the  article,  tell  how  certain 
articles  in  the  industrial  work  were  made.   Get  correct  sequence. 

Tell  what  you  did  in  such'  a  way  that  some  other  child  will 
know  just  how  to  make  the  article. 

The  Beginning  of  Letter  Wr'iti)ig:  Children  dictate  a  letter 
to  send  to  some  absent  schoolmate.  The  teacher  guides  con- 
struction, writes,  and  sends  it  to  the  child. 

Any  of  the  large  central  topics  given  below  is  suggestive  of 
some  project  that  may  be  worked  out  in  its  varied  relations, 
including  the  constructive  expression  with  which  it  is  co-ordin- 
ated.   (See  bulletin,  Constructive  Expression.) 

Social  Experiences. 

The  child  in  relation  to  others : 
The  Home: 

Father  and  mother. 
The  baby  of  the  family. 
What  do  the}'  do  for  us? 
\Yhat  can  we  do  for  them  ? 
Father's  work. 
Mother's  work. 

The  School: 

The  articles  that  father  ))uys  for  us  to  bring  to  school. 
The  care  of  books  and  material. 
The  things  we  enjoy  in  school. 

What  are  they? 
School  Housekeeping. 

What  we  can  do  to  help  in  tlie  school  room  and 
school  yard. 

Note. — All  of  this  conversation  must  find  expression  in  actual 
doing,  or  it  is  worthless. 

The  people  who  supply  our  needs: 

Food. 

Clothing. 

Shelter. 

The  people  who  bring  us  conveniences — Who  are  fhey? 


36 


FIEST  GEADE 


The  people  who  help  take  care  of  us — Who  are  they? 
Work  out  particularly  the  contribution  of  the  policeman. 

'he  Care  of  the  Body  (For  det^iils  see  Course  of  Study 
Science)  : 

Cleanliness — 

Observation  of  pets,  as : 
The  bird  taking  a  bath. 
The  need  of  a  bath  for  plants. 
The  need  of  a  bath  for  little  children. 
Use  happy  devices  for  getting  the  children  to 
come  with  clean  faces  and  hands. 

Song — :See  Our  Hands  So  Nice  and  Clean. 
Hands  that  are  clean  held  out  for  teacher's 
inspection. 

The  soiled  hands  are  hidden. 

Fresh  Air — 

Relate  to  the  care  of  plants. 
The  needs  of  a  plant. 

Tell  the  story  of  the  little  boy  who  ''Planted 
Himself  to  Grow". 

Compare  Johnnie 's  physical  needs  with  our  needs. 
Compare  the  plants'  needs  with  our  needs. 

Food- 
Overeating — Find  out  what  the  squirrel  does 

when  he  has  more  than  he  needs. 
The  canar}^  and  his  food. 

Proper  Food — suggestions  for  the  selection  of 
food  for  the  noon  lunch. 

Learn  to  WTite  and  carry  home  to  mother  a  list 
of  food  that  will  help  to  make  us  grow. 

Write  mother  a  letter  telling  her  something  that 
is  good  for  us  to  drink. 

The  Care  of  the  Teeth- 
Story  of  a  little  girl  who  wanted  Santa  to  bring 

her  a  toothbrush.    How  she  used  it. 

Story  of  a  boy  who  earned  a  toothbrush. 


FIKST  GRADE 


37 


Encourage  the  use  of  a  brush. 
Discuss  ''The  Kind  Doctor"  who  can  help  us 
take  care  of  our  teeth. 

How  candy  and  nuts  should  be  eaten. 

Discussio)is  Based  Upon  "Safety'' : 
The  best  places  to  pla}'. 

"What  is  to  be  done  when  our  ball  rolls  out  into  the 
street. 

How  to  cross  streets.    What  must  Ave  do? 

Learn  to  write  and  carry  home  to  mother  the  words : 

Stop. 

Look. 

Listen. 

Tell  mother  what  has  been  learned  in  school.    Tell  her 
what  the  words  mean. 

The  proper  place  to  cross  streets. 
Crossing  the  railroad  track — 
The  meaning  of  the  bell. 
The  meaning  of  the  gates. 
What  must  be  done  in  a  fire  drill  ? 
The  discussions  outlined  above  are  worthless  unless  followed 
by  positive  action. 

Unquestioning,  instantaneous  ohedience  in  all  school  drills, 
and  the  prompt  recognition  of  sigfnals  are  the  best  safeguard  of 
the  child. 

Liter ATURi-: — A  Sourcp:  of  Oraf^  Expression. 

List  -of  Stories. 

Select  stories  from   readers,   supplementary   material  and 
other  sources  of  recognized  literary  value. 
See  book  list  at  close  of  language  outline, 
(.'nmulative  stories,  as : 

The  Old  Woman  and  the  Sixpence. 

Chicken  Little. 

The  Gingerbread  Man. 

The  Little  Red  Hen. 


38 


FIRST  GRADE 


Myths— 

The  Story  of  Clyte. 
Pandora. 

Cupid  and  Psyche. 

Fables — 

The  Lion  and  The  Mouse. 
The  Ant  and  the  Dove. 
The  Crow  and  the  Pitcher. 
The  Hare  and  the  Tortoise. 
The  Wind  and  the  Sun. 
The  Discontented  Weathervane. 
The  Dog-  and  the  Shadow. 
The  Fox  and  the  Grapes. 
Bellino-  the  Cat. 

Also— 

^  Three  Billy  Goats  Gruff. 
The  Three  Bears. 
Little  Red  Riding  Hood. 
The  Three  Knights. 
The  Straw,  The  Coal,  The  Bean. 
The  Fir  Tree. 
The  Little  Pine  Tree, 
The  three  Butterflies. 

A  True  Pigeon  Story— In  the  Child's  World— E. 
Poulsson. 

An  All  Year  Round  Story— Child 's  World. 

The   Nest   of   Many    Colors — Adapted    from  John 

Burrough's  Wake  Robin — Poulsson. 

Prince  Harweda — Harrison — Story  Hour. 

Pig  Brother — Laura  Richards. 

Santa  ("laus  Myth. 

Santa  Glaus  in  His  Work  Shop. 

Little  Black  Sambo. 

Santa  Clans  and  the  Mouse. 


FIRST  GRADE 


39' 


The  songs  of  the  grades  are  used  as  a  source  of  good  literature. 
Get  the  ^tory,  imagery,  feeling  of  the  song.  See  outline  of  music 
in  separate  pamphlet. 

Poems. 

Review  the  poems  that  were  taught  in  the  Kindergarten. 

Teach  at  least  ten  of  the  poems  listed  for  the  First  Grade. 
This  list  Avas  prepared  as  a  result  of  a  study  of  the  poems 
generally  preferred  in  the  First  Grade.  Teach  any  single  poem 
of  real  worth  that  co-ordinates  with  some  particular  project  of 
your  grade.  See  "How  to  Study"  by  Dr.  Frank  McMurry 
(Chapter  VII.)  for  the  method  of  teaching  a  poem.  Memorize 
l)y  the  ''thought  getting  process,  not  by  w^ord  getting". 

Be  sure  to  pass  on  to  the  Second  Grade  teacher  the  list  of 
I)oems  that  has  been  taught  in  the  First  Grade. 

A  List  of  Poems. 

Stevenson,  R.     :  The  Wind.— Child 's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Autumn  Fires. — Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Bed  in  Summer. — Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  The  Cow. — Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  The  Swing. — Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Time  to  Rise  (Birdie  With  a  Yellow  Bill).— 

Child's  Garden,  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Foreign  Children. — Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Rain. — Child's  Garden  of  Verse. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Whole  Duty  of  Children.— Child's  Garden  of 

Verse. 

Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Sing  a  Song  of  Seasons. — Child's  Garden  of 
Verse. 

Rosetti,  Christina:  The  Wind. — Art  Literature,  Book  I. 
Hill,  Patty  S. :  Autumn.— Hill  Song  Book. 

Brown,  K.  L. :  The  Little  Plant  Seed.— Child's  Calendar  Beauti- 
ful. 

Tennyson:  What  Does  Little  Birdie  Say? — Poems  by  Grades; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Mf)thf'r  (U)()^9  :  Solf'ctions. 


40 


FIEST  GRADE 


Longfellow:  Hiawatiia's  (/hildhood. — Hiawatha  Primer. 

From  the  German:  Lullaby  (Sleej),  Baby,  Sleep). — Poems  by 

Grades ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Taylor :  Twinkle,  Twinkle,   Little    Star. — Poems   by   Grades ; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Cooper,  Geo.:  Come  Little  Leav(>s  (Title — Wind  and  Leaves). — 

Child's  Calendar  Beautiful. 
Alexander,  Mrs.  C.  T. :  All  Things  Bright  and  Beautiful.— Hill 

Song  Book. 

Field,  Eugene:  Why  Do  Bells  for  Xnuis  Ring ?— Tree-Top  and 
Meadow. 

TTnknown  :  Robin's  Secret. — Child's  Calendar  Beautiful. 
Wadsworth,  Olive  A.  (Katharine  Dana)  :  Over  in  the  Meadow. — 

Poems  by  Grades ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Smith,  S.  F. :  America. 

Continue  in  this  grade  the  training  in  appreciation  of 
l)eautiful  forms  of  expression  in  ]n'()se  and  poetry. 

Pictures. 

Another  source  of  language  material  is  pictures. 

Pictures:  Select  those  pictures  in  which  there  is  action — those 
that  tell  a  short  story. 

Basis  of  Discussio)i  : 

What  the  people  in  pictures  are  doing. 
The  story  that  the  picture  tells  to  me. 
A  good  name  for  the  picture. 

See  list  of  pictures  suggested  in  course  of  study  in  drawing — 
sei)arate  pamphlet. 

There  is  language  material  in  pictures  of  the  type  given  in 
the  list: 

An  Unexpected  Christmas  Gift. — Meyer  von  Bremen. 

Feeding  the  Hens. — Millet. 

Can't  You  Talk.— Holmes. 

Which  Do  You  Like  ?— Holmes. 

Little  Red  Riding  ITood. — Ferrier. 

The  Jerseys. — Sir  Edwin  Douglas. 

(TLse  with  poem  The  (^ow. — Stevenson.) 


FIE ST  GRADE 


41 


Hiawatha. — Elizabeth  Morris. 

(Use  ill  connection  with  story  of  Hiawatha  and  His 
Friends. ) 

The  Technique  of  English. 

From  the  be«iiiiniii«i'  of  the  chikl's  course  in  Eng-lish,  oral  and 
written  forms  of  expression  should  receive  habitual  attention. 
Teach  the  technique  of  Eng-Hsh  in  relation  to  the  content. 

The  child  shoiikl  have  scmiething  to  say  that  from  his  own 
point  of  view  is  worth  telling-.    For  instance  : 

111  the  telling:  of  stories,  let  some  member  of  the  group  repeat 
the  story  to  some  child  who  was  absent  at  the  first  telling. 

Practice  the  telling  of  a  story  so  that  it  may  be  told  to  another 
^a-oup  of  children  in  such  a  way  that  it  gives  them  pleasure. 

Prepare  stories  to  tell  at  home  for  the  pleasure  of  the  family. 

In  dramatization,  decide  u])oii  parts  of  a  story  to  be  used  in 
dramatizing. 

Device:  Send  one  child  from  tlie  room.  While  he  is  out  the 
teacher  tells  a  very  short  story  in  which  there  are  two  or  three 
essential  points  in  close  se(nience.  The  child  is  called  back  and 
s(mie  member  of  the  class  tells  him  the  "surprise  story",  while 
tlie  others  help  by  seeing  that  no  i)art  of  the  story  is  omitted, 
and  that  each  part  is  in  its  pro})er  place. 

After  children  have  been  in  school  f()r  several  months,  and 
have  had  some  practice  in  taking  definite,  related  assignments 
for  the  occupation  period,  have  different  children  restate  the 
assij^nment,  giving  directions  in  logical  order  to  other  members 
of  the  g-roup. 

In  the  simple  written  work  that  the  First  Grade  child  does, 
aim  to  secure  originality  of  expression.  Encourage  the  children 
to  ask  for  the  words  that  tliey  do  not  know  how  to  si)ell,  and  let 
them  feel  the  joy  of  putting  into  written  form  a  thought  of  their 
own. 

As  far  as  possible  have  the  written  work  of  the  P^'irst  Grade 
'lone  at  the  blackboard. 

(Umiion:  The  aimless  cop.\'ing  of  sentences  is  disastrous  to 
good  language,  spelling  and  writing. 


42 


FIRST  GRADE 


This  does  not  mean,  however,  that  children  should  not  be 
trained  to  copy  sentences  in  a  sensible  way.  Avoid  the  copying 
of  word  by  word.  Train  the  children  to  visualize.  Let  them  see 
a  sentence  as  a  whole,  get  the  thought,  the  words,  the  punctuation, 
and  write  the  entire  sentence  from  memory.  This  type  of  work 
can  be  done  during  the  spelling  period. 

Write  messages  to  mother  or  father,  as: 
Come  to  our  school. 
Do  you  like  this  writing,  father? 

Write  birthday  wishes,  messages  for  Christmas,  valentines. 
Send  notes  to  the  Kindergarten  children,  telling  them  what  they 
are  learning  to  do  in  the  First  Grade.  In  playing  store,  keeping 
house,  or  the  working  out  of  projects,  write  labels  or  any  neces- 
sary sentence  to  explain  what  is  being  done. 

Take  advantage  in  the  First  Grade  of  the  children's  joy  in 
making  rhymes  and  verses.    (See  General  Statement.) 

Minimum  Requirements  in  the  First  Grade. — Language. 

In  order  to  get  an  intelligent  view  of  the  minimum  require- 
ments of  the  First  Grade,  it  is  necessary  to  study  the  General 
Statement,  the  Kindergarten  and  First  Grade  course,  and  the 
work  of  the  grades  following  the  First. 

In  both  IB  and  lA  Grades,  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the 
work  is  oral.  Write  short  sentences  when  there  is  real  need  for 
a  written  statement. 

By  the  time  the  children  have  finished  the  lA  Grade,  they 
should  take  part  in  relation  to  certain  topics.  Perceptible  power 
should  have  been  gained  in  holding  to  the  topic  of  conversation, 
and  the  statement  of  points  in  proper  sequence.  They  should  be 
able  to  do  this  in  the  telling  of  a  short  story  or  a  discussion  of 
a  topic.  This  must  be  very  informal  and  spontaneous,  but  at 
the  same  time  very  conscientious. 

lA  children  should  have  made  a  good  beginning  in  the 
mastery  of  the  "sentence  sense".  The  class  as  a  whole  should 
have  made  a  beginning  in  acquiring  a  critical  attitude  toward 
oral  language.  There  should  be  well  directed  effort  to  get 
concise  statements.  Train  consciously  in  the  omission  of 
superfluous  '^ands"  and  ''whys". 


FIE ST  GKADE 


43 


Increasing  the  ChilcVs  Vocal) ulary.  This  is  done  most 
effectively  by  a  careful  choice  of  English  on  the  part  of  the 
teacher.  Her  vocabulary  should  be  above  that  of  the  class.  The 
introduction  of  new  words  should  be  so  skillful  that  the  child 
may  be  able  to  interpret  by  the  context. 

Synonyms  are  taught  incidentally  through  use  in  sentences. 
The  new  words  that  form  a  necessary  part  of  the  child's  school 
vocabulary  are  naturally  taught  in  relation  to  the  required 
school  activity,  as,  "Erase  the  blackboard,"  "Prepare  for 
gjTnnastics, "  etc. 

Distinct  Enunciation  and  Correct  Pronunciation. 

Teach  and  insist  upon  as  a  necessary  part  of  giving  an  idea 
to  others. 

Say  distinctly:  There  are,  not  They  are.  Enunciate  the  final 
g  as  in  plajdng. 

Correct  pronounciation  of  catch,  get,  eggs,  heard,  often, 
wish. 

Drills  in  Correct  Oral  Expression.  Children  of  different 
localities  have  various  faults  in  English. 

The  teacher  should  make  a  note  of  the  most  common  mistakes 
and  drill  in  correct  expression.  Correct  these  characteristic 
mistakes. 

Cultivate  the  linguistic  conscience. 

Employ  games  and  other  devices  that  provide  opportunity 
for  the  repetition  of  the  correct  form. 

The  Unit  of  Expression  is  the  Sentence.  All  constructive 
work  in  English  should  be  given  in  sentences. 

The  repetition  of  the  correct  form  should  be  given  in 
sentences. 

In  using  drills  for  correct  expression  let  the  aim  be  not  only 
repetition  of  the  expression,  but  when  possible,  use  in  connection 
with  it  some  useful  drill  or  connect  with  some  subject  in  which 
the  class  is  interested.  In  this  work  the  ear  is  to  be  trained  to 
recognize  the  correct  sound  and  the  tongue  to  give  it  habitually. 


44 


Minimum  Requirements  in  Correct  Use  of  Verb  Forms. 

Teach  the  correct  use  of 
saw,  have  seen, 
did,  have  done, 
have,  has,  had, 
run,  ran,  run, 
hear^  heard,  have  heard, 
you  were, 

th(  re  are  instead  of  "they  are", 
know,  knew, 
come,  came,  have  come, 
"I  have  none"  instead  of  ''I  ain't  got  none", 
or  "I  haven't  any", 
lie,  lay, 
ate. 

The  follow]  n<i'  games  and  drills  are  suggestive  of  what  the 
teacher  may  do  in  relation  to  the  needs  of  her  own  class. 

Suggestive  Drills. 

ScisW:  May  be  used  in  connection  Avith  imaging  the  pictures 
suggested  by  some  description  that  is  read  or  told  by  the  teacher. 
Again,  some  picture  ma}'  be  shown.  Take  it  away.  What  did 
you  see  ?  Sense  training  may  be  given  in  connection  with  ' ' saw". 
A  group  of  words,  numbers,  forms  and  solids  of  various  kinds 
may  be  shown.  Children  tell  what  they  saw,  giving  the  forms, 
words,  or  numbers  in  the  same  order. 

Heard:  Give  number  combinations  based  upon  sounds.  For 
instance,  strike  a  bell  so  as  to  ^ive  the  combination  ''3  and  2". 
What  did  you  hear?    I  heard  ''3  and  2  are  5". 

Use  the  action  words  in  connection  with  the  activity. 

In  teaching  the  correct  pronounciation  of  words,  repeat  the 
word  in  connection  with  some  activity.  "For  instance,  have 
numbers  that  the  children  need  practice  in  reading  scattered 
around  the  board.  Play  "catcher".  Children  quickly  point  to 
a  number.    Saj^  "I.  can  catch  25".    "I  can  catch  42,"  etc. 

Get:  I  can  (jet  this  hard  problem.  (Child  gives  original 
problem.) 


FIKST  GEADE 


45 


There  are:  There  are  two  tens  in  twenty,  etc. 

The  personal  pronoun  in  connection  with  activity,  or  an 
exercise  similar  to  this.  The  teacher  counts  :  ' '  3-6-9-12-15. ' ' 
"What  was  I  doing?" 

Children:  "You  Avere  counting  by  3." 

Teach,  in  relation  to  the  everj^-da}'  class-room  experiences, 
and  form  the  habit  of  using  polite  forms  of  speech,  as : 

Good  morning,  Miss   . 

Good  afternoon.  Miss   . 

Good  bye,  Miss  . 

Yes,  Miss   . 

No,  Miss  . 

Please  excuse  me. 

I  beg  your  pardon. 

I  thank  you.    Not  "thanks". 

If  you  please. 

Written  Laxgi'age — First  Grade. 

In  the  Fir.st  Grade  this  is  a  very  small  part  of  the  language 
training.  Many  children,  however,  have  a  desire  "to  tell 
something**  iu  writing.  They  should  be  encouraged  to  do  this, 
and  from  the  first  taught  to  write  a  sentence  proj^erly.  Train 
them  to  write  freely  at  the  blackboard. 

By  the  end  of  the  first  year,  children  sliouhl  write  three  or 
four  sentences  in  such  a  way  that  it  is  evident  that  they  have 
a  beginning  of  the  "sentence  sense". 

Teach  the  technique  of  written  language  in  relation  to  the 
■written  expression  of  a  thought. 

Beginning  of  Letter  Writing. 

The  dictation  of  letters  and  stories  to  the  teacher,  who  writes 
them  and  sees  that  the  children  send  them.  (See  Kindergarten 
outline,  page  32.) 

When  the  First  Grade  teacher  writes  these  letters  and  stories, 
jt  lias  been  foiind  a  good  plan  for  her  to  talk  aloud  as  she  writes. 
For  instance : 


46 


FIEST  GEADE 


"This  is  the  end  of  a  sentence  that  tells  something.  What 
shall  I  put  at  the  close  ?  I  am  beginning  a  new  sentience.  How 
shall  I  begin  the  first  word  in  this  sentence?" 

An  Example  of  First  Grade  Sentence  Construction. 

For  six  weeks  the  First  Grade  children  of  the  Belknap 
School,  Miss  Dorothy  Warden,  teacher,  studied  the  life  history 
of  a  family  of  birds  outside  of  the  school-room  window.  A 
sentence  was  written  each  day,  each  child  writing  his  own 
original  sentence.  Finally,  the  sentences  of  each  child  were 
combined  and  bound  into  booklets,  each  booklet  decorated  with 
the  picture  of  a  blue  jay.  The  following  is  the  contents  of  one 
of  the  best  books  : 

A  Blue  Jay  Family. 

We  have  a  beautiful  maple  tree  by  our  school  window.  There 
is  a  blue  jay  sitting  on  her  nest  in  the  maple  tree.  She  sits  there 
every  day  keeping  her  eggs  warm.  Some  times,  she  flies  away, 
but  most  of  the  time  she  stays  at  home.  When  she  gets  hungry, 
the  father  bird  brings  her  a  worm.  Early  one  morning,  the 
father  bird  and  the  mother  bird  were  there.  Instead  of  the 
little  eggs  some  bab}^  birds  were  in  the  nest.  Each  mouth- was 
wide  open.  The  father  and  mother  birds  were  very  happy  to  see 
their  little  babies. 

Keeping  record  of  various  school  experiences  helps  First 
Grade  children  in  the  beginning  of  sentence  construction. 

The  following  record  was  kept  in  connection  with  a  garden 
project ;  the  illustrations  were  in  free-hand  paper  cutting : 

We  transplanted  bulbs  on  March  31.  (Illustration:  Flower 
pot  and  flowers.) 

We  sprinkled  the  hotbed.    (Illustration:  Watering  can.) 

We  made  scarecrows  to  frighten'  the  birds  away  from  the 
peas.    (Illustration:  A  cutting  of  the  scarecrows.) 
These  are  my  tools.  (Illustration:  The  tools.) 


FIEST  GEADE 


47 


Punctuation  and  Capitalization. 
Minimum  Bequirements. 

Beginning  with  the  first  sentence  that  the  child  writes,  all 
necessary  capitals  and  marks  of  punctuation  should  be  used  and 
no  variations  allowed.  The  teacher  incidentally  calls  any  mark 
that  is  employed  by  its  proper  name. 

The  Aim:  Form  the  hahit  of  good  punctuation.  If  possible, 
the  child  should  never  be  allowed  to  see  an  incorrect  sentence. 
Remove  his  own  mistakes  as  quickly  as  possible  and  substitute 
the  correct  form  in  some  wa}'  that  will  make  a  vivid  impression. 

The  teacher's  work  should  always  he  a  model  of  good  written 
form. 

Dictation  Exercises:  In  the  lA  Grade,  the  teacher  dictates 
short  sentences  for  the  children  to  write  at  the  board.  The 
children  are  to  judge  by  the  teacher's  inflection,  her  expression 
of  the  sentence,  what  mark  of  punctuation  to  use. 

In  their  oral  and  written  work,  j^oung  children  frequently 
wish  to  tell  what  some  other  child  said.  Supply  the  necessary 
form  of  punctuation.  Work  of  this  kind  is  not  forced  into  the 
First  Grade,  but  if  a  child  wishes  to  express  himself  freely,  the 
proper  forms  should  be  given  to  meet  his  need. 

Summary  1A  and  IB — Punctuation. 

All  necessary  form  in  relation  to  the  writing  of  simple 
sentences.    Special  attention  : 
Capitals — 

Beginning  of  a  sentence. 
The  child's  name. 

The  names  of  persons,  the  name  of  the  school. 

The  name  of  the  city. 

The  use  of  capital  I. 
Marks  of  Punctuation — 

A  period  at  close  of  sentence. 

Interrogation  point  at  close  of  sentence. 
Abbreviations — 

Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Second  Grade 


LANGUAGE. 

Remember:  The  uiiit  of  expression  is  the  scnlcncc.  Cultivate 
the  seiitfiicr  scnsr.    TJk  unit  of  proccelnre  is  large  thought  imits. 

Statement  of  Aims  For  the  Second  Grade. 

(See  Mahoney,  Standards  in  English. ) 

"To  see  to  it  that  children  are  not  obliged  to  'say  something', 
bnt  rather  that  they  'have  something  to  say'. 

''To  lead  children  to  think  for  a  few  minutes  before  they 
attempt  anj^thing  in  an  oral  way.  This,  not  overdone,  will  be 
valuable  in  making  for  some  beginnings  of  order  in  the 
arrangement  of  their  ideas. 

' '  To  continue  the  work  of  developing  distinct  articulation  and 
an  easy,  natural  talking  tone. 

"To  correct  the  errors  of  speech  assigned  in  the  grade 
outline. ' ' 

Study  the  General  Statement  and  the  specific  assignments 
for  the  Kindergarten  and  First  Grade.  In  order  to  get  an 
intelligent  conception  of  the  entire  course,  study  the  work  of  the 
grades  following  the  Second. 

The  language  expression  of  the  Second  Grade  is  mainl}^  oral, 
a  small  proportion  written.  Much  of  this  written  work  should 
be  done  at  the  blackboard. 

Every  lesson  is  i\n  opportunity  for  training  in  English. 

Sources  of  Material. 

Experiences  Related  to  Science  (See  Course  of  Study  in 
Science)  :  Geography,  history,  civics.  (For  details  in  geography 
and  historj^,  see  mimeographed  ('oiirse  of  Study  by  Louisville 
Normal  School.) 


49 


Socuil  Experiences:  Games  and  organized  play,  free  play, 
draraatization  of  institntional  life ;  as,  honsekeeping  and  playing 
store ;  ocenpations  at  home  and  school ;  and  playgronnd  activities 
of  various  kinds. 

The  child  is  interested  in  his  own  economic  relations  to 
various  people  who  supply  his  needs. 

As  the  concrete  basis  of  oral  and  written  expression,  select 
such  subjects  as  the  following,  using  them  more  intensively  than 
in  the  First  Grade.  The  child's  experience  is  now  broad  enough 
to  be  used  as  a  basis  for  more  thoughtful  and  comparative 
consideration  of  some  of  the  same  topics  that  were  used  in  the 
Kindergarten  and  First  Grade. 

Conversations  based  upon  institutional  life;  as: 
The  Work  of  the  Home — 
Who  does  it? 

Who  are  the  helpers  in  the  home?  The  work  of 
each  member  of  the  family. 

What  can  we  do  to  help  in  the  home? 
What  people  outside  of  the  home  contribute  to 
our  comfort  and  safety. 
(This  topic  may  be  discussed  concretely;  as,  the  story  of  a 
piece  of  bread  and  butter — How  many  people  had  to  work  so 
that  we  might  have  it? — AVhat  work  had  to  be  done?  etc.) 

Work  of  this  kind  is  an  excellent  opportunity  for  the 
expression  of  logical  thought — sequence. 
The  Work  of  the  School— 
Who  are  the  helpers? 

What  are  some  of  the  things  needed  in  a  school? 
From  where  did  these  things  come? 
What  people  had  to  work  so  that  we  might 
have  them? 

What  does  the  school  do  for  us? 

What  can  we  do  to  help  our  school? 

Care  of  school  property. 

Care  of  our  own  books  and  material. 

Cleanliness  of  school  room. 

Co-operation  in  keeping  school  yard  clean. 


SECOND  GRADE 


The  Work  of  the  City— 
Who  does  it? 
What  is  done .  for  us  ? 

What  are  some  of  the  best  things  in  our  city? 

What  can  we  do  to  help  take  care  of  them? 

How  does  it  help  our  city  to  plant  flowers  in  our 
yard — to  keep  our  yards  clean — to  shovel  snow  off 
our  own  sidewalk — to  keep  the  streets  and  sidewalk 
clean  ? 

Co-operation  in  the  care  of  public  playgrounds 
and  parks. 

The  duties  of  young  citizens  in  relation  to  other 
people's  property. 

Industrial — 

Our  father's  work. 

Some  of  the  duties  connected  with  his  work. 
His  regular  hours. 
His  tools. 

The  work  of  some  of  the  men  who  pass  our 
school. 

In  Lower  Fulton,  Upper  Fulton,  Shippingport,  a  fitting 
topic : 

The  Boats  That  Travel  the  Ohio— 
Where  are  they  going? 
What  are  they  taking  away  ? 
What  will  they  bring  back? 
.  Illustration    Work :     See    Industrial     Outline  —  separate 
pamphlet. 

Literature — A  Source  of  Language  Material. 
Poems. 

Review  poems  learned  in  the  Kindergarten. 
Review  poems  learned  in  the  First  Grade. 
Select  ten  from  the  following  list  to  be  made  a  permanent 
possession. 


SECOND  GEADE 


51 


Select  other  fitting  and  seasonable  poems. 

(See  book  list  of  poems  at  close  of  language  outline.) 

Make  use  of  the  children's  pleasure  in  making  rhymes  and 
verses.   (See  General  Statement,  page  26.) 

See  How  to  Study  (chapter  vii),  by  Dr.  Frank  McMurry, 
for  the  method  of  teaching  a  poem.  Memorize  by  "thought 
getting''  process,  not  by  the  "word  getting". 

A  List  of  Poems. 

Sherman,  F.  D. :  Daisies. 
Sherman,  F.  D. :  Four  Winds. 

Sherman,  F.  D. :  The  Dew  Drop. — Art  Literature,  Book  I. 
Smith,  S.  F. :  America. 

Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Land  of  Counterpane. — A  Child's  Garden  of 
Verses. 

Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Land  of  Stor}-  Books. — A  Child's  Garden  of 
Verses. 

Stevenson,  R.  L. :  Foreign  Lands. 
Stevenson,  R.  L. :  My  Shadow. 

Field,  Eugene:  Wynken,  Blyken  and  Nod. — Poems  by  Grades; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Setoun,  Gabriel:  The  World's  Music. — Art  Literature,  Book  1. 
Longfellow:  Selections  from  Hiawatha. — Hiawatha  Primer. 

The  Rainbow. 

The  Firefly. 

The  Moon. 

The  Owls. 

Sleep  Song. 

Rosetti,  Christina:  The  City  Mouse. — Art  Literature,  Book  L 
Rosetti,  Christina :  Boats  Sail  on  the  Rivers. — Poems  by  Grades ; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Thomas,  Edith  M. :  Lullaby  (Now  the  Little  White  Sheep  and 

the  Little  Black  Sheep,  etc.). — Art  Literature,  Book  I. 
Thaxter,  Celia:  Little  Gustavo. — Reader. 
MacDonald  :  Baby. — Poems  by  Grades ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Allison,   Joy:   I   Love   You,   Mother. — Stepping    Stones  to 

Literature. 

Mother  (Hundreds  of  Stars,  etc.). 


52 


SECOND  GKADE 


Stories — Second  Grade. 

See  the  General  Statement  for  suggestions  for  the  use  of 
story  material. 

List  of  Stories. 

Select  stories   from  readers,   supplementary  material,  and 
other  sources  of  recognized  literary  value. 
See  book  list  at  close  of  language  outline. 
Bible  Stories — 

The  Story  of  Joseph. 

The  Story  of  Moses. 
Select  from — 

Beauty  and  the  Beast. 

The  Bremen  Town  Musician. 

Cinderella. 

The  Anxious  Leaf. 

The  Frog  Prince. 

The  Lump  of  Clay — Van  Dyke. 

Aladdin    and    the    Wonderful    Lamp.— Arabian 
Nights. 

The  Fisherman  and  the  Genii. — Arabian  Nights. 

The  Bell  of  Atri— Longfellow. 

The  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin — Browning. 

Robinson  Crusoe. 

Five  Peas  in  a  Pod. 

Pandora. 

Arachne. — Stories  of  Old  Greece. 

King  Midas. 

Clyte. 

Fables — 

See  First  Grade  list. 

Also — 

The  Ant  and  tlie  Grasshopper. — Graded  Literature, 
Book  II. 

The  Town  Mouse  and  the  Field  Mouse. 
The  Fox  and  the  Crow. 


SECOND  GEADE 


53 


The  Arab  and  the  Camel. 

The  Boy  and  the  Wolf. 

The  Lark  and  the  Farmer. 

\Yhat  the  Chri.'^tmas  Bells  Said. 

Short  Stories  from  Tom  Tlinmb. — Child  Life. 

Coming:  and  Going- — Henry  W.  Beecher. — Brook's 

Second  Reader. 
Story  of  the  Anxious  Leaf — Henry  Ward  Beecher. 
Three  Foolish  Wishes. 
The  Sleeping  Beauty. 
The  Shoemaker  and  tlie  Elves. 

Why  the  Evergreen  Trees  Keep  Their  Leaves  All 

Winter — Bryant. 
The  Tar  Baby. — From  T^ncle  Remus. 
Prudent  Hans. — Household  Stories. 
Epaminondas  and  His  Auntie — Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
How  Brother  Rabbit  Fooled  the  Whale  and  Mr. 

Elephant — Bryant. 
The  Little  Jackal  and  the  Alligator — Sara  Cone 

Bryant. 

Peter  Pan. — Free  &  Treadwell  Second  Reader. 
Songs  of  the  grrade  used  as  a  source  of  g'ood  literature.  Get 
the  story,  imagery,  fcelinc)  of  the  song-.     See  Outline  of  Music 
ill  se|)a]vite  pamphlet. 

Hygiene — A  Source  of  English. 

See  Course  of  Study  in  Science  for  details.  Just  enough  is 
given  in  this  hook  to  show  the  possibilities  for  use  in  language 
training. 

Study  work  of  preceding  grade. 

Discuss:  Rules  of  Health. 

Co-operative  work.    Write  the  rules  and  send  to  First  Grade 
f'hildren  to  read. 
Take  them  home. 
Personal  Cleanliness — 
The  bath. 

Care  of  teeth,  nails,  hair. 
Care  of  the  eyes. 


54 


SECOND  GEADE 


Civic  Cleanliness — 

See  suggestions  under  the  work  of  the  city. 
The  Need  of  Exercise — 

The  playing  of  games  out  of  doors. 

Home  exercise. 

School  exercise. 
Discussions  based  upon  safety: 

Review  and  act  upon  points  suggested  for  First  Grade. 

Discuss  ways  of  taking  care  of  the  First  Grade  children. 
Also  discuss : 

Our  behavior  when   entering   or  leaving  a  public 
building. 

Our  behavior  in  a  crowd. 
Our  behavior  in  a  fire  drill. 

The  use  of  playground  apparatus  in  such  a  way  as 
to  avoid  accidents. 

The  rules  of  fair  play  when  playing  a  game. 
There  must  be  habit  formation  in  relation  to  the  above,  or 
the  discussion  is  useless. 

In  relation  to  this,  a  project  may  be  worked  out  with 
illustrations  on  the  sand  table,  or  a  floor  map.  Our  Neighborhood, 
and  How.  to  Keep  it  Safe,  is  a  typical  subject. 

Nature  Experiences. 
(See  Course  in  Science  for  details.) 

Excursions  to  a  park,  a  farm,  a  garden,  a  poultry  yard.  The 
woods  furnish  best  source  of  material. 

The  nature  experiences  must  vary  with  the  school  locality. 
Use  the  material  in  which  your  group  of  children  is  particularly 
interested.  Plan  the  work  in  relation  to  the  opportunities  for 
observation,  testing,  and  practical  experiences  that  your  locality 
may  afford. 

As  in  the  First  Grade,  let  the  study  be  in  relation  to  the  care 
of  some  particular  plant  or  animal. 
Discuss  plans  for  making  gardens. 

Bring  reports  of  progress  and  growth  of  plants  and  accounts 
of  experiments  in  seed  planting. 


SECOND  GEADE 


55 


In  some  localities  it  may  be  possible  to  make  a  study  of  hees. 

What  does  the  bee  do  for  iis  ? 

What  conditions  are  best  for  the  bee? 

Or,  select  some  domestic  animal.  Wliat  can  we  do  for  its 
comfort  and  well  being?  Study  the  animal  in  relation  to  its 
needs. 

Use  literature  in  connection  with  this  w^ork;  as 

The  Bell  of  Atri. 

Selections  from  Black  Beauty. 
Or,  watch  and  give  oral  accounts  of  the  development  of 

tadpole, 

silkworm, 

caterpillar ;  or 
The  Story  of  a  Family  of  Birds. 

Feeding  the  birds. 

The  value  of  the  birds  to  us. 

A  study  of  conditions  that  will  keep  the  birds  with  us. 
Story:  The  Birds  of  Killingworth,  or  A  Study  of  Fruit  Trees. 

The  story  of  a  fruit  tree  from  blossom  time  to  fruit 
gathering  , 

The  development  of  seeds  under  varying  conditions. 
Accounts  of  what  happened  given  in  sequence. 

Story:  Apple  Seed  Johnnie,  or  A  Study  of  Our  Pets. 
Notice  their  regularity  of  habits. 
What  do  they  do  for  themselves? 
Study  the  dog,  rabbit,  squirrel,  canary,  or  gold-fish  to 
discover  what  conditions  make  them  comfortable. 
All  children  should  become  acquainted  with  the  trees  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  school.    They  should  enjoy  the  autumn 
coloring  in  trees  and  landscape. 

Observe  the  interesting  and  beautiful  in  winter  snow,  ice, 
frost,  aud  landscape. 

Become  acquainted  with  the  birds  that  stay  for  the  winter, 
and  do  something  for  their  care. 

Gather  autumn  leaves,  winter  evergreen  and  the  first  flowers 
of  spring. 


56 


SECOND  GRADE 


The  purpose  of  these  experiences  is  etijoijment. 

AVateh  for  the  arrival  of  birds  in  sprint-.  Keep  a  Eecorcl  of 
Si(j)i.s  of  Spri)ig. 

Have  eliildren  tell  of  some  interesting'  thing  they  have  seen 
or  discovered  when  ont-of-doors  after  school  honrs. 

Freqnently  the  most  helpful  study  is  that  based  npon  some 
snbject  that  the  children  snggest — some  plant  or  animal  that 
they  bring  to  school. 

Pictures. 

Pictures — A  Source  of  Language  Material  for  the 
Skconu  Grade. 

Discussions  based  npon  ]^ictures.  Select  pictures  that  tell 
a  story. 

The  Story  Told  by  the  Picture. 

Device.  Tell  the  story  of  the  picture  to  the  dramatic  point. 
Then  let  different  children  finish  the  story  m  individual  M^a^^s. 

Let  several  children  represent  the  different  characters  in  a 
picture  and  tell  what  each  character  has  to  say. 

Dramatize  the  story  told  by  the  picture. 

Name  the  picture  and  tell  why  it  is  a  good  name. 

When  possible,  carry  home  a  picture  and  tell  its  story  to  the 
famih^ 

Pictures  suggested — 

Pilgrims  Going  to  Church — Broughton. 

The  Return  of  the  Mayflower — Broughton. 

A  Mother's  Care — Leigh  Hunt. 

The  Little  Mother — Meyer  von  Bremen. 

Feeding  Her  Birds — Millet. 

Family  Cares — Barnes. 

Jn  Disgrace — Barber. 

Children  Sailing  Their  Boat — Israels. 

A  Fascinating  Tale — Bonner. 


SECOND    G  E  A  D  E 


57 


Duck  and  Ducklings — J.  Hulk. 
Happy  Hours — Coleman. 
The  Rainbow— Millet. 

(Use  with  story  of  Hiawatha  and  Rainbow.) 
Hiawatha — Elizabeth  Morris. 

Technical  Language — Second  Grade. 

Review,  review  I  This  means  to  present  again  in  ne,w  situations 
the  points  that  were  emphasized  in  the  Kindergarten  and  First 
Grade.  The  price  of  securing  improved  English  is  eternal 
vigilance.  In  teacliing  tlie  technicalities  of  English,  remember 
that  in  both  oral  and  written  language  the  child  should  be  held 
to  the  correct  form  every  time,  aUowing  uo  variations. 

Sentence-:  Improvement — Oral  and  Written. 

The  unit  of  progression  in  Idngiiaj/e  construction  is  the 
sentence.  The  child  must  make  his  thought  clear  to  the 
remainder  of  the  class.  Tliis  does  not  mean  that  he  should 
answer  in  a  complete  statement  when  it  is  unnatural  to  do  so. 
He  should  be  trained  to  talk  well  in  relation  to  a  topic  that  is 
interesting.  This,  iu  ordinaiy  discourse,  usually  requires  several 
sentences  in  close  relatiou.  Children  may  answer  in  short, 
complete  statements,  and  yet  the  training  in  constructive 
language  be  very  inadequate.  Work  of  this  type  is  usually  the 
residt  of  an  undue  amouut  of  (|uestioning  on  the  part  of  the 
teacher. 

The  keynote  of  constructive  English  is  su(j(jestion.  The 
teacher  arranges  the  .situation — then  guides  the  conversation, 
keeping  the  children  to  the  point. 

Train  Second  Grade  children  to  question  one  another  in 
regard  to  the  conteut  of  selections  or  stories.  ' 

Avoid  the  frequent  repetition  of  rind.  Train  along  this  line 
by  combining  short,  related  statements  into  one  good  sentence. 

Teach  the  use  of  the  pronoun,  avoiding  excessive  repetition 
of  nouns. 

Do  more  descriptive  work  than  in  the  First  Grade,  but  it 
should  })e  presented  in  relatif)n  to  narration. 


58 


SECOND  GRADE 


Train  the  children  in  the  recognition  of  excellent  points  in 
the  work  of  other  members  of  the  class. 

Improvement  in  Beginning  of  Sentences. 
Have  exercises  to  secure  variety  in  beginning  sentences. 

Co-operative  Work. 

The  entire  class  may  at  times  work  together  to  produce  a  good 
story  or  written  exercise.  It  is  written  on  the  board  and  may 
be  used  as  a  suggestion  for  language  and  a  model  of  form.  It  is 
not  to  be  copied.  Erase  the  work,  and  after  several  language 
periods  have  intervened,  have  the  children  think  again  along  the 
same  line.  Encourage  each  child  to  express  himself  in  an 
original  way. 

Before  beginning  the  work,  rapidly  recall  certain  mechanical 
forms  that  are  to  be  observed. 

Avoid  the  misspelling  of  words  by  giving  the  child  any  word 
that  he  needs  to  spell,  or  by  supplying  a  way  for  him  to  help 
himself. 

Minimum  Requirements  for  the  Second  Grade, 
Keep  in  mind  all  suggestions  given  in  the  preceding  pages. 

Oral  English. 

Children  should  freely  discuss  topics  of  interest.  They  should 
be  able  to  talk  at  least  one  minute  without  prompting. 

The3^  should  be  able  to  tell  short  stories  in  good  sequence. 

They  should  be  trained  to  make  an  informal  outline  to  help 
them  in  their  own  story  telling  and  discussions. 

They  should  be  trained  in  a  simple  way  to  plan  for  the 
dramatization  of  a  story,  selecting  characters,  scenes,  and 
producing  the  acts  in  proper  sequence. 

They  should  be  able  to  think  and  to  talk  at  least  five  or  six 
sentences  in  relation  to  a  definite  topic.  When  they  have  kept 
to  the  point,  they  should  know  that  they  have  ''talked  a 
paragraph".  This  type  of  oral  prepaTation  should  precede  the 
written  work. 


"SECOND  GRADE 


59 


Distinct  Eminciation  and  Pronoundation. 

Insist  upon  this  as  necessary  in  carrying  over  ideas  to  others. 
Teach  correct  prononnciation  of  words,  as  across,  wished,  often, 
took.    (See  list  of  previous  grades.) 

Correct  Use  of  Parts  of  Speech. 

In  addition  to  the  First  Grade  list,  give  special  attention  to 
the  correct  use  of  the  personal  pronoun  with  the  verb  to  he. 

I  was  We  were 

He  was  You  were 

She  was  They  were 

Did ;  have  done  ;  ate  ;  lie ;  lay — eat,  ate,  eaten — give,  gave, 
given — sing,  sang,  sung — write,  wrote,  written — take,  took, 
taken — bring,  brought,  have  brought. 

You  and  I — He  and  I — You,  Mary,  and  I. 

Study  the  characteristic  mistakes  of  your  class.  Concen- 
trate upon  special  mistakes.  Have  two  or  three  minute  word 
drills  every  day,  trying  in  the  spirit  of  play  to  correct  these 
mistakes.  Follow  the  positive  type  of  approach  that  was  used 
during  the  "Better  Speech"  campaign.  Use  various  devices. 
For  instance,  have  "tag  days"  on  which  every  one  wears  the 
correct  form  of  liis  ps))fH'ial  mistake. 

Written  Language. 

By  the  close  of  the  second  grade,  there  should  be  definite 
results  in  the  writing  of  at  least  four  or  five  sentences  in  rela- 
tion to  one  topic.  These  sentences  should  be  original,  and 
should  be  written  in  the  form  of  a  paragraph. 

(Ujpjjincj  of  Sentences  (See  r(^marks  for  the  First  Grade,  y)age 
45.) 

In  this  grade,  write  informal  notes  and  messages  of  a  few 
sentences.  These  notes  may  be  sent  to  friends  in  the  school  or 
elsewhere.   Write  announcements  of  entertainments  or  surprises 


60 


that  are  being  prepared  for  some  special  occasion,  or  the  morn- 
ing assembly.  These  notes  may  ])e  sent  to  tlie  Kindergarten  and 
First  Grades. 

Mechanical  Forms. 
Minimum  Requirement. 

Capitals-- 

Beginning  of  sentences. 

Names  of  places  and  people. 

Names  of  the  Days  of  the  Week. 

Names  of  the  Months. 

Capital  I. 
Abbreviations — 

Mr.  and  Mrs.   . 

The  Child's  Address   St.  (street). 

Polite  Forms  of  Speech — 

See  First  Grade  and  Kindergarten,  pages  33  and  45. 


Third  Grade 


LANGUAGE. 

Remember:  The  unit  of  expression  is  the  sentence.  The  unit 
of  procedure  is  large  thought  units.  All  constructive  work  in 
English  should  be  given  in  sentences.  Cultivate  the  sentence 
sense.  This  does  not  mean  that  children  should  be  forced  to 
answer  in  complete  senteiu-es  when  it  is  stilted  and  unnatural 
to  do  so. 

Study  the  Cxeneral  Statement,  the  work  of  the  preceding, 
and  the  following  grades. 

Continue  to  work  for  free,  spontaneous  expression  in  rela^ 
tion  to  something  that,  from  the  child's  point  of  view,  is  worth 
talking  or  writing  about. 

A  Statement  of  Aims. 
(See  Standards  in  English,  Mahoney.) 

''To  lead  children  to  tell  of  their  experiences  as  freely  in 
school  as  they  do  at  home,  or  on  the  playground. 

"To  restrain  the  garrulous;  to  stimulate  the  timid. 

"To  acquaint  children,  mainly  through  imitation  of  the 
model,  with  the  use  of  the  short  exclamatory  and  the  short  in- 
terrogative sentence  as  a  medium  for  lively  thought  expression. 
(This  means  imitation  of  style,  not  words  and  content.  See 
page  63,  Mahoney.) 

"To  continue  the  work  of  developing  dif?tinct  articulation, 
and  an  easy,  natural  talking  tone. 

"To  play  the  language  games  without  any  let  up.  (Not 
more  than  two  or  three  minutes  each  day.) 

"Still  to  continue  the  war  against  'and',  'then',  and,  'so'." 


62 


THIRD  GRADE 


Sources  of  Material. 

Geography.  See  Mimeographed  Course  by  Louisville  Nor- 
mal School. 

Civics  and  History.  See  Mimeographed  Course  by  Louis- 
ville Normal  school. 

Industrial.    See  Outline. 

Nature  Study  and  Hygiene.  Course  in  Science  for  Detail. 
Art.    See  Outline. 

These  subjects  are  excellent  language  material,  provided 
that  they  are  used  constructively. 

The  class,  with  the  teacher's  help,  must  hold  the  pupil  to  one 
definite  point. 

Frequently  the  main  topics  may  be  outlined  and  the  child 
trained  to  talk  in  paragraphs. 

The  pupil  must  try  to  express  his  experiences,  to  make  clear 
his  impressions  to  other  members  of  the  group. 

Social  Experiences.  See  discussions  under  suggestions  for 
second  grade. 

A  study  of  industrial  life  is  a  part  of  the  geography  and 
history  of  the  third  grade. 

Make  a  study  of  some  phase  of 

The  Work  of  the  Community. 
See  General  Statement  for  Typical  Projects.  Milk. 
Suggestions.    In  those  schools  in  which  there  is  a  Babies* 
Milk  Station  in  the  neighborhood,  study 

The  purpose  of  the  Station. 
Our  interest  in  somebody  else's  baby. 
The  means  of  getting  the  pure  milk  to  the  babies. 
Methods  employed  in  making  sure  that  the  milk  is  pure. 
The  care  of  the  milk  after  it  is  taken  home. 
"Written  Expression.    Writing  a  letter  to  mother  telling  all 
that  we  have  learned  about  the  babies'  milk  supply. 

Or  A  Study  of  the  Fire  Department — 
The  need  of  a  Fire  Department. 
The  men  who  do  the  work. 

Their  training  in  prompt  attack. 

Their  rapidity  of  movement. 


THIED  GEADE 


63 


Some  things  that  they  must  know. 
Their  bravery. 

(Stories  of  Bravery  of  Firemen.) 
The  equipment  of  the  Fire  Department. 
The  fire  alarm. 

The  service  that  the  department  renders. 

Written  Expression.  An  account  of  just  what  happens  in 
our  city  when  there  is  a  fire.    What  is  done  first,  next,  etc.? 

Motive.  Send  to  some  boys  in  another  city  that  is  not  so 
large  as  ours. 

Or  A  Study  of  Our  Public  Library —  ^ 

1.  The  service  of  the  public  library. 

2.  The  pleasure  that  we  have  there. 

3.  A  description  of  the  children's  room. 

4.  Our  behavior  in  the  children's  room. 

Some  things  that  we  find  in  the  Museum ;  in  the  Art  Room. 
The  care  of  the  books : 

Ways  suggested  for  keeping  them  clean  and  in  good 

condition. 
How  to  find  the  book  that  we  want. 
How  to  find  the  subject  in  the  book — Training  in  the 
use  of  the  Index. 

Written  Expression.  Play  that  you  are  a  beautiful  story 
book.  Write  a  letter  to  the  little  boys  and  girls  who  read  you, 
telling  them  just  what  you  would  like  to  have  them  do  for  you. 
Be  sure  to  say  please. 

Motive.  Ask  the  principal  of  the  building  to  send  these 
letters  to  second  and  fourth  grade  children  to  read. 

Public  Safety — Personal  Safety — 

Study  the  duties  of  the  traffic  officer,  our  relation  to  him. 
Our  street  car  system. 
Some  things  that  are  done  for  our  safety. 
Organize  rules  of  safety  for  ourselves  in  relation  to  street 
cars. 


64 


THIRD  GRADE 


Written  Expression.  After  oral  work  along  these  lines, 
formnlate  written  rnles,  and  take  them  home  to  pin  up  that  the 
family  may  read  them. 

Helping  others  to  keep  safe. 

Expression.  Try  to  get  a  response  in  action.  Study  poem, 
''Somebody's  Mother"  in  Child's  Calendar  Beautiful. 

Story — The  Baby  and  the  Elephant. 
What  to  do  with  a  little  child  who  is  lost. 
How  to  help  an  old  person. 
Lead  the  children  to  organize  a  list  of  habits  that  we  should 
form  in  relation  to  crossing  the  streets. 

Note — A  negative  treatment  of  this  subject  is  dangerous. 

Make  the  treatment  positive  in  every  respect. 
Study  the  work  of  preceding  grades. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  assign  certain  topics  to  a  grade  and  after 
one  or  two  discussions,  neglect  them  in  the  following  grades. 

The  Story  of  Robinson  Crusoe — A  Project  For 
THE  3-A  Grade. 

Plan  for  the  Study  of  Rohinson  Crusoe. 

In  presenting  story  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  we  have  as  an  aim 
not  only  to  teach  a  fine  realistic  story  of  genuine  literary  value, 
a  romance  which  never  loses  its  interest  and  charm  for  the 
children,  but  through  it  the  child  is  to  enter  more  intelligently 
into  social  conditions. 

Robinson  Crusoe's  struggles  in  getting  fire,  food,  raiment 
and  shelter,  may  be  vital  to  the  children,  if  they  are  skillfully 
led  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  Crusoe's  life  and  victories.  Lead 
the  children  to  picture  vividly  every  new  scene,  and  through 
keen  imagination  to  enter  vitally  into  every  changing  condition 
of  the  life  of  the  hero. 

Points  similar  to  the  following  may  often  be  the  topic  of 
conversation;  Robinson  Crusoe  is  in  this    position,    he  must 


THIED  GEADE 


65 


therefore  have  this  or  that  necessary  thing.  Suppose  you  were 
Robinson  Crusoe.    ^Yhat  would  you  do? 

To  assist  the  child  to  get  into  the  spirit  of  the  story,  and 
to  intelligently  work  it  into  his  own  life,  the  suggestions  under 
the  topics.  Something  to  Think  About,  Something  to  Find  Out, 
Something  To  Do,  are  given.  They  are  merely  suggestions  and 
are  not  intended  to  be  exhaustive. 

The  following  plan  is  arranged  on  the  basis  of  institutional 
life.  Frequent  comparisons  of  Robinson  Crusoe's  life  with  our 
own  conditions  of  life  should,  be  made. 

It  \vill  be  necessar}^  for  the  teacher  to  make  a  thorough  study 
of  the  book  and  to  carefully  plan  each  lesson,  if  the  children 
are  to  receive  the  full  measure  of  social  benefit  to  which  they 
are  entitled. 

Children  read  the  story  as  a  whole.    Use  in  silent  reading. 

In  relation  to  the  discussion,  have  parts  of  the  book  read 
ahjud,  making  the  reading  as  dramatic  as  possible. 

If  the  children  are  sufficiently  interested,  read  it  several 
times  so  that  they  will  get  the  continuity  of  thought. 

Discuss  the  story  in  the  light  of  institutional  life,  following 
the  thread  of  the  story  and  keeping  up  the  dramatic  interest 
which  it  so  easily  sustains. 

What  happens  to  Robinson  Crusoe? 

What  happens  next? 

AVhat  do  you  think  Robinson  Crusoe  did  then?  etc. 

The  (questions  under  the  suggestive  topics — "Something  To 
Think  Almut^',  "Something  to  Find  Out",  "Something  To 
Do",  are  to  be  written  on  tlie  board  to  be  read  by  the  children. 
The  things  that  they  have  thought  out  and  investigated  may 
be  discussed  and  the  directions  for  expression  work  carried  out 
with  the  most  available  material. 

Robinson  Crusoe's  Home — 

Cliildren  imagine  the  (conditions  in  the  home  of  his 

parents. 

What  were  some  of  tlie  things  he  had  to  give  up  when 
he  left  home? 

Something  To  Think  About — 

AVliy  did  Robinson  Crusoe  want  to  go  to  sea? 


66 


THIRD  GRADE 


Something  To  Find  Out— 
In  what  country  is  York? 

What  do  we  call  people  who  live  in  that  country? 

In  what  country  do  we  live? 

What  are  we  called? 
Something  To  Do — 

Draw  a  picture  of  the  flag  of  Robinson  Crusoe's 
country. 

Draw  a  picture  of  our  country's  flag. 

Write  the  names  of  some  of  the  good  things  Robinson 
Crusoe  had  to  give  up  when  he  left  home. 

Discuss  some  of  Robinson's  hardships  as  a  sailor. 
Something  To  Think  About — 

Why  did  Robinson  Crusoe  remain  a  sailor  when  it 
was  such  hard  work? 
Something  to  Find  Out? 

Where  is  South  America? 

The  chapters,  ''I  am  ship-wrecked,"  ''I  am  cast  upon 
a  strange  shore,"  are  of  such  intense  interest  that  they 
should  be  handled  as  a  whole.  Teacher  tells  the  story, 
picturing  as  vividly  as  possible  Robinson  starting  on  his 
journey,  the  coming  of  the  storm,  the  shipwreck,  his  con- 
dition when  cast  upon  a  strange  shore.  Appeal  to  the 
emotions. 

Bring  in  some  child  from  another  grade  or  any  per- 
son to  whom  the  pupil  will  feel  the  story  is  new  and 
allow  the  children  to  tell  the  story  to  them.  Encourage 
a  great  deal  of  dramatic  expression. 
Something  To  Think  About — 

If  you  were  Robinson  Crusoe  and  found  yourself 
ship-wrecked  on  a  lonely,  strange  shore,  what  is  the  first 
thing  you  would  do  ? 
Something  To  Do — 

Draw  a  picture  of  the  ship  sailing  on  the  sea,  before 
the  storm. 

Draw  a  picture  that  will  tell  the  story  of  Robinson 
Crusoe  cast  upon  the  strange  shore. 

Robinson's  first  lodging — Tree — Tree  Dwellers 


THIRD  GRADE 


67 


Robinson's  possessions. 
Robinson's  necessities. 

His  most  important  discovery,  (the  spring). 
His  first  home  on  the  island,  (the  tree). 

Something  To  Think  Abont— 

Which  did  Robinson  need  more,  a  spring  of  fresh 
water  or  something  to  eat  ? 

Why? 
Something  To  Do — 

Draw  or  cut  the  picture  of  Robinson's  first  home. 

Show  on  the  sand  table  how  things  first  looked,  when 
Robinson  came  to  the  strange  shore. 

Robinson's  visits  to  the  wreck. 

Tell  the  story. 

What  were  the  useful  things  he  found? 
How  did  he  get  them  to  the  shore? 

Something  To  Think  About — 

What  do  you  think  was  the  most  useful  thing  that 
Robinson  Crusoe  brought  from  the  wreck?  Why? 

Something  To  Find  Out — 

How  are  the  rafts  that  we  see  down  at  the  river 
made  ? 

Something  To  Do — 

Make  a  little  raft  like  Robinson  Crusoe 's. 
Use  it  in  sand-table  illustration. 

The  Tent- 
How  was  it  made? 

Something  To  Think  About — 

In  wliat  way  was  the  tent  better  than  a  home  in  the 
trees  ? 

What  ijeople  always  live  in  tents? 

Compare  Robinson's  tent  with  the  home  he  had  left 
in  England. 
Something  To  Do — 

Build  on  the  sand-table  a  tent  like  Robinson's. 

Spell  the  names  of  all  the  things  that  were  in  Robin- 
son's tent. 


68 


THIED  GRADE 


Eobinsoii  Crusoe's  Castle — 
Disadvantages  of  the  tent. 
Building  of  the  castle. 
How  protected? 

Something  to  Find  Out — 

Can  you  find  a  place  on  our  hillsides  that  is  some- 
thing like  the  one  Robinson  Crusoe  used  for  his  castle  ? 

Something  To  Do — 

Build  on  the  sand-table  a  castle  with  stakes  around 
it  just  as  Robinson  Crusoe  did. 

Make  a  little  ladder  like  the  one  Robinson  Crusoe 
had  'to  get  in  and  out  of  his  castle. 

Industrial  Life — 

What  were  some  of  the  things  Robinson  Crusoe 
ver}^  much  needed?  (Compare  with  our  needs). 
Have  conversation  lessons  on  such  subjects  as, 
Robinson  Crusoe : 

The  Sailor. 

The  Hunter. 

The  Fisherman. 

The  Shepherd. 

The  Farmer. 

The  Potter. 

The  Carpenter. 

The  Tailor. 

The  Manufacturer. 

The  Shoemaker. 

The  Shipbuilder. 

The  Cook. 

The  Miller. 

The  Baker. 

Something  Tq  Think  About — 

Try  to  count  the  people  who  help  us  to  get  food  to 
eat,  clothes  to  wear,  and  a  comfortable  home  to  live  in. 

"What  are  some  of  the  other  comforts  that  we  have? 

Compare  with  those  of  Robinson  Crusoe. 


THIED  GEADE 


69- 


Something  To  Find  Out. 

Where  is  there  a  cave  in  our  hillsides?  What  other 
people  have  lived  in  caves?    The  Cave  Dwellers. 

Something  To  Do — 

Make  Robinson's  cave  home  of  clay. 

Make  clay  dishes  as  Robinson  did. 

Plant  the  same  seeds  that  Robinson  Crusoe  planted. 

]\Iake  his  little  farm  on  the  sand-table. 
Dress  a  doll  in  clothes  like  Robinson 's. 
Make  Robinson  Crusoe 's  umbrella. 

Society —  • 

Robinson  Crusoe  and  his  friends. 

Name  some  of  them. 

Care  of  his  pets. 

Tell  the  story  of  Polly. 

Had  he  any  people  who  were  his  friends? 

Tell  the  story. 

A  perilous  adventure. 

Footprints  in  the  sand. 

The  earthquake. 

His  man  Friday. 

(Compare  with  our  opportunities  for  social  life.) 

Something  To  Think  About — 

What  do  you  think  Robinson  Crusoe  wanted  more 
than  anything  else? 

What  did  he  do  to  keep  from  being  lonely? 

Something  To  Do — 

If  we  could  have  taken  a  picture  of  Robinson  Crusoe 
eating  his  supper,  what  would  we  have  seen? 

Try  to  make  us  see  the  picture. 

Robinson  Crusoe  is  starting  out  for  a  walk. 

Take  his  picture. 

Draw  it,  or  tell  about  it  so  that  we  shall  see  it. 

Robinson  Crusoe's  School — 
What  was  it? 

What  were  some  of  the  tliiriffs  lie  learned? 


70 


Eobinson  Crusoe,  the  teacher. 
Who  was  the  pupil  ? 
How  did  he  tell  time? 
Robinson  Crusoe's  calendar? 

Something  To  Think  About — 

What  forced  Robinson  Crusoe  to  learn  things  that  he 
did  not  know  before  he  came  to  this  island 

Something  To  Find  Out — 

Try  to  find  as  many  different  ways  of  keeping  time 
as  you  can. 

Something  To  Do — 

Look  at  the  sundial  and  tell  us  how  to  tell  time  by  it. 
Make  a  picture  of  an  hour  glass. 
Make  a  weather  calendar. 

Compare  with  Robinson  Crusoe's  method  of  telling 
time. 

Can  you  think  of  any  other  way  in  which  Robinson 
Crusoe  might  have  kept  a  record  of  the  time  he  spent 
on  the  island  ? 

Teach  time  by  clock. 

Make  clock  face. 

Make  calendar. 

Take  children  to  see  a  sundial  or  show  them  the 
picture  of  a  sundial. 

Robinson  Crusoe  and  the  Bible — . 
Where  did  he  get  it  ? 
Of  what  use  was  it  to  him  ? 

Talk  about  some  of  the  good  and  beautiful  things 
that  were  on  the  island. 

What  did  Friday  teach  Robinson  Crusoe  about  God? 

Tell  the  story  of  the  rescue  of  Robinson  Crusoe  as  a 
whole. 

Draniaiize. 

As  a  review  of  the  entire  story  this  may  be  done. 
Discuss  and  select  the  most  important  points  in  the  story. 
Make  a  selection  of  those  episodes,  which  if  told  in  logical 


THIRD  GRADE 


71 


sequence  will  tell  the  story  of  Robinson  Crusoe.  A  very  at- 
tractive entertainment  for  the  children  would  be  to  consider 
these  crucial  points  a  series  of  acts.  Divide  the  grade  into 
groups,  each  group  dramatizing  very  simply  the  act  for  which 
it  is  responsible.  Arrange  these  acts  so  that  the  entire  story 
will  be  told  brieflj^ 

Hygiene — Third  Grade. 

Just  enough  of  this  subject  is  given  to  show  its  relation  to 
English.  (For  details,  See  Course  in  Science.) 
Have  discussions  based  upon  Personal  Hygiene. 

Review  all  topics  suggested  for  First  and  Second 
Grades : 

Cleanliness. 
Fresh  air. 
Light. 

The  care  of  the  eyes. 

The  placing  of  the  book. 

How  the  light  should  fall  when  reading. 

Food  : 

Selection  of  the  noon  lunch. 

Avoidance  of  unwholesome  candy. 
In  relation  to  the  city 's  water  supply,  discuss : 

The  need  of  pure  water. 

The  use  of  individual  cups. 
Proper  posture  in  sitting  and  standing. 
Hygiene  in  relation  to  the  school  room : 

The  need  of  a  cool  school  room — what  happens 
when  the  room  is  too  warm. 

The  reading  of  the  thermometer. 

The  need  of  an  abundance  of  light. 

The  window  shades ;  the  assistance  of  the  children 
in  their  regulation. 

School  Desks : 

Their  cleanliness  and  care. 

The  accumulation  of  waste  material — ^How  to 
avoid  it. 


72 


T  H  I  E  D  GRADE 


The  pro})er  use  of  the  drinking  fountain: 

Teaeh  the  yount^-er  ehiUlren  liow  to  use  tlie  fountain. 
The  necessity  of  possessing  and  using  only  a  pencil 
of  one's  own. 

Nature  Experiences 

(See  Coiii'se  of  Study  in  Science  for  details.) 

Provide  jihuiidaiit  opportunity  for  experience,  observation 
and  disiTis.-ion. 

Ct'iitra!  thought:  Nature  in  relation  to  the  needs  of  man. 
Connect  the  work  with  home  and  school  activities. 
Plan  for  a  home  garden— Connect  with  a  study  of  plants: 
The  work  they  do  for  us — 

(Jjist  food-producing  plants  and  plants  that  are 
not  edible.  1 
The  needs  of  plants — 

A  study  of  soil  in  relation  to  supplying  proper 
conditions. 

Kinds  of  soil. 
P'ormation  of  soil. 
]\[eans  of  1)etteriug  the  soil. 
Experiment — 

Germination  nnder  var3ang  conditions. 
Sunlight. — 

Tlie  need  of  light. 

Observe  window  ])lants  turning  to  the  sun. 

Experiment  showing  effect  of  no  sunlight. 

Provisions  for  furnishing  an  abundance  of  sunlight. 
Warmth. — 

Plant  life  in  summer  and  winter. 
Color  changes  in  relation  to  light,  heat,  moisture. 
In  relation  to  gardening  study. — 

( 'aterj)illar. 

Toad. 

Earth  Worm. 
Grasshopper. 
Pirds. 


THIRD  GRADE 


73 


Which  are  the  friends  of  our  garden! 

Which  are  the  enemies  ? 

Water.— 

Water  in  relation  to  plant  and  animal  life. 

Water  as  a  supply  of  the  needs  of  man. 

Water  as  a  producer  of  power. 
Experiments. — 

To  show  evaporation  and  the  power  of  steam. 
Story  of  a  drop  of  rain. 

The  water  that  we  drink — IIoav  it  readies  us. 
Animals,  Domestic. — 

In  relation  to  the  needs  of  man. 

Our  animal  friends — The  service  tiiey  render. 

A  study  of  an  animal  in  relation  to  the  service 
that  we  may  render  it. 

Study  its  habits,   food,   liabitat  that  we  may 
provide  for  its  comfort. 
Protection  of  Animals. — 

The  wild  animals  that  are  related  to  our  friends — 
the  domestic  animals. 

Relation  of  Avild  animals  to  the  man  of  the  forest 
of  long  ago. 

Story  of  the  Taming;  of  a  Wild  Animal. 
Birds — Recognition  of  Our  Familiar  Friends. — 

A  study  of  conditions  that  will  persuade  binds  to 
stay  in  our  yards,  gardens,  parks. 

Reports  of  efforts  to  provide  these  conditions. 

Protection  of  birds. 

A  study  of  birds'  homes. 

Adaptation  to  their  environment. 

I^rovisioji  for  food,  water,  shelter. 
Trees — Recognition  of  trees  in  neig}il)orhood,  parks 
and  f)lay  grounds — 

The  value  of  trees  to  us. 
Collect  un<]  huvo  u  1  if  tic  exhibit  of  The  Ciffs  of  the  Trees. 


74 


THIED  GKADE 


The  protection  of  trees  along  the 
Sidewalks. 
Playground. 

Parks  and  other  public  places. 

Third  Grade  children  are  interested  in  reading  material 
bearing  upon  topics  that  have  been  studied.  The  interest  in 
the  reading  will  depend  greatly  upon  the  background  of  first 
hand  experiences  that  the  children  have  had. 

Use  the  books  as  means  of  getting  more  information 
along  a  line  of  investigation. 

Use  a  variety  of  books,  leading  the  children  to  bring  their 
contribution  to  the  other  members  of  the  class. 

Some  books  are  used  to  provide  interest  in  the  story  of 
nature — ^the  large  nature  experiences  of  plants  and  animals. 

Book  List — Nature. 

Wild  Animals  That  I  Have  Known — Thompson  Seton. 

Wake  Eobin — Burroughs. 

The  Jungle  Book. 

Bird  Neighbors. 

Early  Cave  Men — Dopp. 

The  Tree  Dwellers — Dopp. 

The  Story  of  Ab— Waterloo. 

Nature  Study  Readers — Troeger. 

Birds  Through  an  Opera  Glass — Wright. 

Four  Footed  Americans — Wright. 

About  Plant  Life — St.  Nicholas. 

Sea-Side  and  Way-Side — Wright. 

Our  Common  Friends  and  Foes — Turner. 

Plants  and  Their  Children — Dana. 

Black  Beauty— Sewell. 

Nature  Study  and  Life — Hodge. 

Nature  Study  Lessons — McMurry. 

Nature  Study  for  Primary  Grades — Cummings. 

Nature  Study — ^Holtz. 

Little  Busybodies — Marks  and  Moody. 

Animals  at  Home — Bartlett. 


THIED  GEADE 


75 


Literature — A  Source  of  Language  Expression. 
List  of  Stories. 

Select  stories  from  readers,  supplementary  material  and  other 
sources  of  recognized  literary  value. 

See  the  book  list  at  close  of  language  outline.  See  the 
General  Statement  for  discussion  of  stories. 

Bible  Stories: 
Story  of  Moses. 
Story  of  Joseph. 
David  and  Goliath. 
David  and  Jonathan. 

Stories — Suggestions : 
The  Ugly  Duckling. 

Atlanta's  Race — Graded  Literature,  Book  3. 
The  Lump  of  Clay — Van  Dyke. 
Sinbad  the  Sailor — Arabian  Nights. 
Selected  Stories  from  Uncle  Remus  (to  be  read  to 
children). 

Robinson  Crusoe  (read  by  the  children). 
Stories  from  Fairy  Tale  and  Fable — Scudd.er. 
Why  the  Sea  is  Salt— Old  Norse  Tale. 
Ceres  and  Persephone. 

The  Peterkin  Stories — Old  Numbers  of  St.  Nicholas. 
The  Blue  Bird — Maeterlinck  (Adapted). 
Black  Beauty. 

The  Brave  Little  Holland  Boy. 
Raggylug — Ernest  Thompson  Seton. 
Johnny    Bear — Lives    of    the    Hunted — Ernest 
Thompson  Seton. 

Robert  Bruce  and  the  Spider. 
Story  of  Prometheus. 
Aeolus  and  the  Bag  of  Winds. 
Baucis  and  Philemon. 

Just  So  Stories : 

How  the  Camel  Got  His  Hump. 
How  the  Rhinoceros  Got  His  Skin. 


76 


THIED  GRADE 


How  the  Whale  Got  His  Throat. 

The  Bear  Story — ^James  Whitcomb  Riley. 

The  songs  of  the  grade  used  as  a  scorce  of  good  literature. 

Get  the  story,  imagery  feeling  of  the  song — See  outline  of 
Music  in  separate  pamphlet. 

Continue  the  training  in  appreciation  of  beautiful  forms  of 
prose  and  poetry. 

In  this  grade,  at  times,  the  children  still  enjoy  making  their 
own  rhymes  and  verses  in  relation  to  certain  projects.  See 
General  Statement,  page  26. 

Poems. 

Review  poems  learned  in  the  Kindergarten,  First  Grade  and 
Second  Grade. 

Select  ten  from  the  following  list  to  be  made  a  permanent 
possession. 

Select  other  fitting  and  seasonable  poems. 

A  List  of  Poems. 

Stevenson,  R.  h. :  AVhere  Go  the  Boats  ? — Poems  by  Grades ; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Rands,  W.  B. :  The  Child's  World.— Poems  by  Grades;  Harris 

&  Gilbert. 
Child's  Calendar  Beautiful. 

Emerson,  R.  W. :  A  Fable  (The  Mountain  and  the  Squirrel) — 

Poems  by  Grades ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Bible:  Psalm  XXIII. — Poems  by  Grades,  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Browning,  Robert :  A  Song   from   Pippa   Passes. — Poems  by 

Grades;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Tennyson:  The  Throstle. — Poems  by  Grades;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Lonorfellow:  The  Children's  Hour. — Poems  by  Grades;  Harris 

&  Gilbert. 

Coleridge:   He  Prayeth  Best. — Poems  by  Grades;  Harris  & 
Gilbert. 

Tennyson:    Sweet  and  Low. — Poems  by  Grades;  Harris  & 
Gilbert. 


THIED  GEADE 


77 


Brooks,  Phillips :   0  Little  Town  of  Bethlehem. — Poems  by 

Grades;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Moore,  C.  C. :  A  Visit  from  St.  Nicholas. — Poems  by  Grades; 

Harris  and  Gilbert. 
AUingham.  Wm. :  Fairy  Folk. — Poems  by  Grades ;  Harris  & 

Gilbert. 

Bimner,  H.  C. :  One,  Two,  Three. — Poems  by  Grades ;  Harris  & 
Gilbert. 

Coolidge,  S. :  How  the  Leaves  Came  Down. — Poems  by  Grades; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Sangster.    Margaret:    We    Thank    Thee. — Child's  Calendar 

Beautiful. 

Larcum,  Lucy:  The  Song  of  the  Thrush. — Poems  by  Grades; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Cooper,  George:   The  Wonderful  Weaver. — Child's  Calendar 
Beautiful. 

PirrrKKS. 

Pictures  are  another  source  of  language  material. 
See  suggestions  given  First  and  Second  Grades.  . 
After  oral  discussions  tlie  story  told  by  the  picture  may  be 
written. 

Device.  The  children  are  given  familiar  pictures,  each 
member  of  the  group  receiving  a  different  one.  The  child 
describes  his  picture,  and  tlie  other  members  of  the  class  guess 
the  title. 

List  of  Pictures. 

The  Song  of  the  Lark — Breton. 

Want  to  See  the  Wheels  Go  'Round — Goodman. 

The  Dog  in  the  Manger — Douglas. 

Friends  or  Foes — Barber. 

An  Interesting  Family — Carter. 

The  Sheep — Jacque. 

Three  Members  of  a  Temperance  Society — Llerring. 

The  Breakfast — P.  Descelles. 

The  First  Step— Millet. 

Shoeing  the  Horse — Landseer. 

Two  ^fothei-s  i\r\(]  TIumt'  Families — Gardner. 


78 


THIED  GEADE 


Constructive  Language. 

See  suggestion  given  First,  Second  and  Fourth  Grades. 
This  does  not  mean  that  the  actual  topics  are  to  be  used,  but 
merely  to  indicate  a  line  of  thought. 

Topics :  The  Life  History  of  a  Family  of  Birds  discussed  and 
written  in  sequence  ;  as, 

The  coming  of  the  birds. 
The  building  of  the  nest. 
The  activities  of  the  birds  from  day  to  day. 
The  arrival  of  the  birdlings. 
The  care  of  the  j^oung  birds. 
First  lessons  in  learning  to  fly,  etc. 
The  paragraphs  may  be  organized  from  day  to  day  and 
finally  arranged  in  book  form. 

Connection  With  Industrial  Work.  Make  cover  for  book. 
See  outline  in  separate  pamphlet. 

Art. — See  suggestions  for  design  in  drawing  outline  in 
separate  pamphlet. 

Co-operation. — Send  to  Second  Grade  children  to  read. 
In  connection  with  Third  Grade  geography,  write  and  discuss 
a  little  guide  book. 

Places  of  Interest  in  Louisville.  Points  that  are  worth  the 
consideration  of  visitors. 

How  to  Reach  the  Interesting  Places.  Aim:  Make  direc- 
tions so  definite  that  a  stranger  could  follow  them. 

Co-operation. — Give  to  the  teacher,  or  some  new  friend  in 
the  building. 

Made  in  Louisville  Articles — 

Motive. — Discuss  and  write  brief  descriptions  of  articles^ 
making  the  attractive  qualities  so  tempting  that  other  members 
of  the  group  will  want  to  use  the  home-made  product. 

Other  Topics. 

Tell  incidents  and  stories  connected  with  sections  of  our 
city. 

Organize  stories  for  dramatization. 

Teach  the  form  of  a  simple  letter.    Write  to  children  of 


THIRD  GRADE 


79 


another  city.  Describe  interesting  places  and  give  account  of 
interesting  events  in  our  own  city. 

Write  account  of  trips  and  holiday  experiences. 

Formulate  directions  for  making  objects  mentioned  tin 
industrial  course. 

Formulate  directions  for  playing  games.  Work  for  concise, 
logical  expression. 

Write  riddles  and  send  them  to  other  children  to  guess. 

Formulate  a  concise  statement  of  what  was  done  during  a 
period  of  physical  exercise. 

Formulate  rules  of  health  based  upon  discussions  of 
Hygiene. 

Formulate  "Safety  Rules." 

Write  directions  for  care  of  plants  and  pets. 

Write  poems  from  memory  after  they  have  been  learned 
through  study  of  the  content  of  the  poem.  Call  attention  to 
form,  punctuation,  capitals  before  attempting  to  write. 

In  the  Third  Grade,  use  description  in  relation  to  narration. 

The  most  effective  description  is  that  in  which  the  child  sees 
the  need  of  making  the  description  so  clear  that  others  may  get 
a  true  picture  of  the  thing  he  has  in  mind.  The  description 
becomes  vital  when  given  as  a  part  of  a  real  situation. 

A  Tumi)  Grade  Language  Lp:sson. 

Description  is  a  natural  part  of  this  lesson. 

The  actual  work  as  presented  to  the  children  has  been 
outlined  by  the  teacher  of  the  grade,  Miss  Mary  Wehmhoff, 
Morris  School. 

Lesson  Material :  An  advertisement  for  the  recovery  of  a 
lost  knife. 

The  Child's  Motive:  The  need  of  giving  an  accurate 
description  of  the  knife. 

Lesson  Approach:  You  have  lost  a  knife.  Write  a 
description  of  it,  so  that  the  person  who  finds  it  may  know  it 
is  yours  and  return  it. 

Development : 


80 


THIRD  GKADE 


Teacher — Who  had  a  knife  given  him  for  Christmas? 
You  think  much  of  it,  don't  you? 
Who  has  a  knife  all  his  own? 

Should  you  not  feel  bad  if  you  were  unfortunate 
enough  to  lose  it?    Such  things  do  happen. 

If  you  lost  yonr  knife  what  could  you  do  to  recover  it? 
.  Pupil — Advertise  for  it  in  the  paper. 
Teacher — Yes,  but  what  must  you  do  to  advertise? 
Pupil — I  must  write  just  what  my  knife  looks  like. 

Describe  it.    (Word  supplied  by  teacher.) 
Teacher — How  much  shall  w^e  tell  ? 
Pupil — Just  enough  to  show  Ave  know  our  own  knives. 

Nccessarij  Points  in  Description  of  Knife. 

1.  What  kind  of  a  knife  ? 
A  pocket  knife. 

2.  Description  of  parts  of  the  knife : 
Possible  characteristics  of  handle: 

pearl, 

gold, 

silver, 

bone, 

wood, 

initials  on  handle, 
inlaid  silver. 
Possible  characteristics  of  blades: 
number  of  blades, 
dull, 
big, 
little, 
polished, 
sharp, 
broken. 

3.  Other  characteristics : 

Possession  of  nail  file,  etc. 

In  which  part  of  the  newspaper  will  this  article 
appear  ? 

How  shall  we  begin  our  advertisement? 


THIED  GRADE 


81 


Lost — Attention  was  drawn  to  the  position  and 
punctuation  of  "Lost."  (If  possible,  anticipate  mis- 
takes in  spelling  and  punctuation.  Supply  the  correct 
form.) 

The  Written  Exercise : 

Teacher — Place  the  word  ''Lost"  in  exactly  the 
right  place  on  your  paper.  Write  quickly  the  adver- 
tisement for  the  recovery  of  the  knife  that  you  have  lost. 
It  must  reach  the  paper  before  twelve  o'clock  to  be  in 
afternoon  edition. 

Specimens  of  Children's  Work: 

Lost — A  pearl  handled  knife  with  two  blades.  It  was 
a  pocket  knife.    The  blades  were  sharp. 

Reward  if  returned  to  Fannie  Schneider,  201  E. 
Madison  Street. 

Lost — An  old  knife  with  a  broken  wooden  handle.  It 
had  two  blades  and  a  piece  of  a  blade.  I  care  for  it,  for  I 
had  it  a  long  time. 

Please  return  to  Leonard  StcAvart. 

Lost — A  bone-handled  knife  with  three  blades  and  a 
nail  file.   The  big  blade  was  broken. 

Return  to  James  Fitzpatrick,  127  East  Ja«ob  St. 

Lost — A  knife  with  a  gold  handle.  My  initials  are  on 
the  handle.   It  has  a  nail  file  and  two  blades. 

Please  return  to  James  Savage,  237  East  Main  St. 

Lost — A  pearl-handled  pocket  knife.  Three  blades, 
two  lar<re  ones  and  one  small  one.  Initials  engraved  on  it. 

Reward  if  returned  to  Vivian  Gough,  412  S. 
Second  Street. 

Children's  Criticism  of  Their  Own  Work: 

One  boy  said:  "That  was  mighty  long.  That  would 
cost  more  than  the  knife  was  worth." 


82 


TIIIED  GRADE 


Oral  English — Third  Grade. 
Minrmnni  Requirements. 

By  the  close  of  the  Third  Grade,  the  sentence  sense  should 
have  been  well  developed.  Children  should,  use  concise 
sentences,  the  inflection  showing  that  they  have  a  clear  idea  of 
the  beginning  and  the  close  of  sentences.  The  "and,  why, 
then,  so"  habit  should  be  broken. 

The  work  should  be  free  and  spontaneous,  but  there  should 
be  marked  power  in  ability  to  hold  to  a  definite  point. 

•(As  an  illustration  of  this,  attention  is  called  to  an 
argument  made  by  Third  Grade  children  in  connection  with 
the  Louisville  Normal  School  Extension  Class.  The  subject, 
"Is  It  Better  To  Live  In  Crescent  Hill  Or  In  the  Central  Part 
of  the  City?"  was  discussed  in  relation  to  a  civic  project — a 
Study  of  the  Crescent  Hill  Neighborhood.) 

There  should  be  definite  ability  in  making  an  informal 
outline  in  relation  to  their  own  discussions  and  stories. 

They  should  be  able  to  tell  short,  original  stories  of  eight 
or  ten  sentences. 

They  should  be  able  to  plan  the  dramatization  of  the  stories 
in  their  readers  and  supplementary  books. 

The  paragraph  should  be  studied.  Study  typical  para- 
graphs and  find  "  what  the  paragraph  tells." 

Have  short,  two-minute  talks  in  relation  to  some  project, 
or  topic  of  vital  interest.  Opportunity  should  be  given  for  the 
preparation  of  these  talks. 

The  Pupil's  Method  of  Work:  It  should  show  abilit}^  and 
hegi7ining  skill  in  dealing  with  tliought  units  in  study  work  and 
class  room  procedure. 

Teach  the  direct  quotation,  using  it  in  reporting  conversa- 
tions. 

Distinct  enunciation  and  correct  pronunciation  should  be 
insisted  upon.  The  class  should  be  held  responsible  for 
understanding  the  child  who  is  talking. 

Insist  upon  the  distinct  enunciation  of  the  final  consonants 
and  words  beginning  with  wh,  as  when,  where,  what,  white, 
V         wns,  not  wnz. 


THIRD    G  E  A  D  E 


83 


Drill  in  correct  proiiouiiciation  of  words  like  toward,  often ; 
of  Avords  that  rhyme  with  log.    I  have  to  do  it,  not  I  liaf  to  do  it. 

Correct  Use  of  Parts  of  Speech. 

In  addition  to  the  lists  of  the  Kindergarten  First,  and 
Second  Grades,  teach  the  contractions  isn't,  doesn't.  Teach  I 
liave  instead  of  I've  ^rot.    Yon  may,  for  permission. 

AVrittex  English — Third  Grade. 
Minimum  Requirements. 

Study  the  entire  course  particularly  ,  the  work  of  the  First 
and  Second  Grades.  Correct  habits  in  written  English  must 
be  made  permanent. 

Have  many  short  written  exercises  at  the  blackboard. 

The  children  should  be  able  to  write  correctly  a  short  story, 
or  paragraph  of  at  least  six  or  eight  sentences. 

They  should  write  short  paragraphs  that  are  entirely 
original,  using  subjects  that  are  vital  in  the  every  day  work  of 
the  school: 

They  should  have  mastered  tlie  form  of  a  short,  friendly 
letter. 

Form  an  ideal  of  an  interesting  letter.  Read  good  letters 
to  the  children.  For  instance,  "Roosevelt's  Letters  to  His 
Children"  are  excellent  models  becanse  of  their  informality 
and  naturalness. 

Every  point  that  was  given  special  attention  in  the 
preceding  grades  should  be  given  renewed  attention  in  all 
following  grades. 

•    Sentence  Imi)rovement : 

Continue  -work  of  First  and  Second  Grades. 

Emphasize  oral  paragraphing  following  with  short, 
written  exercises. 

Correct  indentation  and  margin. 
I'unctuation : 

Use  all  necessary  marks  of  punctuation. 


84 


THIRD  GRADE 


Particularly,  proper  use  of  period,  exclamation  point, 
interrogation  point,  apostrophe,  possessives,  comma  witli 
words  in  a  series,  quotation  marks  with  a  direct  quotation. 

Capitalization  : 

Use  proper  capitals  whenever  required,  particularly 
in  relation  to  dates,  initials  and  abbreviations  of  all 
kinds.  Write  the  address  on  an  envelope. 
Drills  for  Correct  Expression:. 

Exercises  is  the  use  of  adjective  (comparative 
degree). 

Correct  use  of  knew,  wrote,  have  written,  gave,  have 
given,  have  known,  he  and  I,  those. 

Drill  in  the  correct  pronunciation  of  toward,  often, 
which,  where,  what. 


Fourth  Grade 


LANGUAGE. 

This  is  the  year  in  which  to  clinch  the  correct  habits  iu  oral 
and  written  English  that  have  been  begun  in  the  lower  primary 
grades. 

To  do  the  Fourth  Grade  work  intelligently,  it  is  particularly 
necessary  to  know  the  work  of  all  preceding  grades  and  that  of 
the  Fifth  Grade. 

Remember  that  the  unit  of  expression  w  the  sentence.  The 
unit  of  procedure  is  large  thought  units. 

Cultivate  the  sentence  sense. 

A  Statement  of  Aims. 

(See  Standards  in  English — Mahoney.) 

a.  To  strengthen  the  "sentence  sense".  Eliminate  "and" 
and  "so"  and  "why". 

b.  To  secure  good  bearing  before  the  class.  There  is  no 
excuse  for  self-consciousness,  if  the  right  class  atmosphere  is 
established. 

c.  To  continue  to  promote  orderly  talking. 

d.  To  secure  good  articulation  and  good  tone. 

e.  To  correct,  with  moderation,  common  spoken  errors. 

Source  of  Material:  Discussions  based  upon  the  child's 
experience  in  relation  to 

Geography — See  outline  Course  of  Study  by  Louisville 
Normal  School,  October,  1919. 

Nature — For  details  see  Course  in  Science. 

History — See  outline  Course  of  Study  by  Louisville 
Normal  School,  October,  1919. 


86 


¥ O  U  E  T  H  GRADE 


Hygiene — For  details,  see  Coiivse  in  Science. 

Art — See  outline  under  separate  cover. 

Literature — See  ontline. 

Music — See  outline  under  separate  cover. 

Industrial  Work — See  outline  under  separate  cover. 
Not  only  is  every  well  organized  lesson  in  which  the  child 
expresses  himself  with  freedom  and  correctness  an  excellent 
Icinguage  lesson,  ijut  various  subjects  of  tlie  primary  curriculum 
may  be  so  used  as  to  furnish  a  practical  motive  for  oral  and 
written  expression. 

IllustrdfioHs. 

Music. — A  class  of  children  after  hearing  the  Overture  to 
AVilliam  Tell  by  Rossini  were  led  to  recognize  the  four  parts  of 
the  composition,  the  Dawn,  the  Storm,  the  Calm  and  the  Finale. 

With  these  topics  as  the  basis  of  discussion,  the  children  were 
led  to  give  word  pictures,  describing  each  scene  in  relation  to 
the  distinct  parts  of  the  overture. 

The  paragraphs  were  clearly  defiiied.  The  form  of  the 
composition  followed  the  content.  This  was  true  in  both  oral 
and  w^ritten  production.  . 

Means  of  Co-operation. — Send  the  story  of  the  overture  to 
another  class  of  children  to  help  them  in  the  interpretation  and 
enjoyment  of  the  selection. 

An  Imaginary  Trip. — Discuss  and  write  plans  for  the 
journey — necessary  equipment — traveling  arrangements. 

Write  to  friends  at  home  accounts  of  pleasures  of  the  trip. 

On  regular  telegraph  forms,  write  announcements  of  sudden 
change  of  plans  or  time  of  home-coming. 

Work  out  each  incident  with  care,  striving  for  originality  in 
the  content  side  of  the  Avork.  Pay  particular  attention  to  the 
technical  side  of  the  work  in  order  that  it  may  be  a  fittino^ 
embodiment  of  an  account  of  a  pleasant  experience. 

Correlation. — Make  a  book  in  which  to  keep  the  story  of  the 
trip.    Present  as  a  gift  to  a  friend. 

Plan  for  Making  Book. — See  outline  of  Industrial  Work — 
separate  pamphlet. 


F  O  U  K  T  H  GRADE 


87 


Suggestions  for  De'joratioii. — See  Drawing  Course— separate 
pamphlet. 

Letters. — Teach  the  writing  of  a  friendh^  letter.  Pay  much 
attention  to  the  proper  construction  of  a  letter. 

It  should  always  be  a  real  letter  to  a  person  to  whom  there  is 
something  interesting  to  tell. 

Correspond  with  children  of  another  school,  city,  State,  or, 
if  possible,  another  country'. 

The  approach  to  the  work  should  always  be  from  the  content 
side — the  thought  back  of  the  proper  means  of  expression. 
Children  should  see  that  correct  paragraphing,  proper  punctua- 
tion, perfect  spelling,  legible  writing  are  the  means  of  clarifying 
the  thought  for  the  person  who  is  to  read  their  message  with 
ease  and  rapidity.  In  no  case  should  a  child  be  allowed  to  send 
his  letter  until  it  is  all  that  he  is  capable  of  doing  in  both  form 
and  content. 

Letters  of  Thanks. — AVrite  a  letter  to  the  principal  when  new 
>upplementary  readers  or  story  books  have  been  received.  Tell 
her  just  what  plans  the  members  of  'the  class  have  made  for  the 
proper  care  of  the  books.  Or 

Write  a  letter  to  the  princi])al  telling  just  what  you  would 
do  if  you  were  allowed  to  stay  and  assist  the  teacher  after  school. 
The  writer  of  the  best  letter  might  be  chosen  as  the  teacher's 
assistant.  Or 

Write  a  letter  telling  tiic  priiicij)al  what  you  would  do  if  you 
were  appointed  leader  of  a  "Keep  Clean"  Committee  for  the 
school  yard.  Or 

Write  a  letter  telling  tlie  principal  what  you  would  do  if  you 
should  be  appointed  leader  of  the  younger  boys  in  the  marching. 

Letters  and  notes  of  invitations  to  mothers  to  attend  meetings 
of  the  Parent-Teachers'  Association,  etc. 

Li  I  era  t  ?  t  re — S  tories — Device. 

Make  a  small  book  of  stories  that  Second  Grade  or  First 
Orade  children  would  enjoy.  Select  simple  words  that  will  best 
tell  the  story.  Be  particularly  careful  to  group  the  sentences 
correctly  as  this  will  help  the  little  children  to  get  the  thought. 


88 


FOUETH  GEADE 


Watch  capitals,  spelling  and  punctuation  so  that  we  may 
teach  the  younger  children  how  to  write  a  story. 

Make  the  writing  very  neat  and  plain  so  that  it  will  be  easy 
to  read. 

A  brief  outline  similar  to  the  following  may  be  given: 
Some  children  made  a  snow  man. 
They  carried  him  into  the  house. 
What  happened? 
In  relation  to  the   above   have   co-operative   work.  Oral 
discussion  in  relation  to  the  expansion  of  each  paragraph.  And 
Individual  written  work,  each  child  trying  to  elaborate  and 
make  the  three  paragraphs  as  original  as  possible,  at  the  same 
time  holding  to  the  organization  of  the  story. 

Art — Expression.  Fitting  illustrations  for  the  stories  of  the 
book.  Or 

Motive.  Dramatization  for  school  entertainment. 

After  reading  a  story,  decide  upon  the  acts.  Selection  of 
characters,  lines  for  each  character,  etc.  Or 

Preparation  of  material  for  presentation  to  the  class. 
Individual  members  read  along  different  lines.  Organize  work, 
write  the  report,  and  read  it  to  other  members  of  the  class.  Or 

The  writing  of  a  contribution  for  a  class  newspaper.  Articles, 
class  exercises,  and  stories  may  be  used  for  a  little  newspaper, 
which  may  be  issued  in  script  form  about  once  each  month. 

Technical  Phase  of  Expression. 

The  teacher's  own  work  should  be  a  model  in  correct 

Paragraphing. 

Indentation. 

Margin. 

Capitalization. 

Punctuation. 

Spelling. 

Choice  of  words. 
In  every  class  exercise  there  should  be  no  variation  from  the 
accepted  standard. 

Correct  form  should  become  a  habit. 


FOURTH  GRADE 


89 


Any  mark  of  punctuation  for  which  there  is  a  need  should 
be  used  every  time  it  is  required. 

Have  frequent  dictation  exercises,  much  sentence  construction 
to  furnish  the  abundant  repetition  that  is  necessary  in  order  to 
clinch  correct  forms  of  expression. 

Do  Much  Work  at  the  Blackboard. 

Do  much  oral  construction  foUowed  by  written  construction 
in  relation  to  topical  outline. 

Children  should  formulate  topical  outline  in  relation  to  stor}^, 
liistory,  nature,  industrial  work,  art  or  other  content  material. 

Word  Pictures. — Oral  work  in  relation  to  material  found  in 
readers  and  supplementary  books.  Follow  this  work  by  written 
exercises  in  which  description  is  taught  in  relation  to  narration. 

Dicfioiiarjj  Use. — Tabulate  alphabetically  many  words  that 
fire  known. 

Game. — Before  school  in  the  morning  or  at  odd  times  run 
races  to  see  which  group  finds  a  certain  word  first  in  the 
dictionaries  that  the  children  have  made  for  themselves. 

Have  in  the  room  a  large  dictionary  of  coarse  print.    Find  a 

word  that  is  needed. 

• 

Game. — Use  of  telephone  directory. 

Two  children  are  chosen.  Give  one  directory  to  each  child. 
A  tliird  child  calls  name  of  some  business  firm  or  friend  whose 
name  is  in  the  directory.  The  class  keeps  time.  Who  finds  name 
first?    The  winner  adds  his  score  to  the  credit  of  his  group. 

XoTK. — This  is  a  j)lay  exercise  to  be  used  occasionally  before 
school  opens. 

Continue  in  the  Fou.rth  Grade  the  construction  of  short, 
original  stories,  imitating  the  teacher's  style,  not  the  words  or 
content.  (See  Mahoney's  Standards  in  English  for  illustrations 
of  this  work.)    Try  to  get  concise,  forceful  expression. 

In  this  grade,  use  the  term  subject  of  a  sentence".  For  a 
two  or  three  minute  drill,  assign  "subjects  of  sentences"  and  in 
tlif  ])]}\y  spirit  see  who  can  rapidly  construct  a  sentence  that 


90 


FOUETH  GRADE 


tells  something  that  is  worth  telling.  The  teacher  assigns  '^The 
Ohio  River".  Child  uses  as  the  subject  of  sentence.  Many  other 
subjects  may  be  given,  as,  ^'Boy  Scouts,"  '^Robinson  Crusoe," 
etc.  The  interrogation  and  exclamation  may  be  used  in  the 
same  way. 

A  topical  sentence  may  be  assigned.  Taking  the  thought  of 
the  sentence,  construct  four  or  five  other  sentences  to  elaborate 
the  thought.  Formulate  the  paragraph.  Short  talks  of  a  minute 
and  a  half  or  two  minutes  may  be  prepared  and  given  by  the 
children. 

These  talks  may  be  given  in  relation  to  some  project  that  is 
being  studied  by  the  class.  They  should  always  be  on  some  vital 
topic,  and  the  children  should  be  trained  to  make  notes  and 
"think  their  speech"  before  attempting  to  talk.  This  should 
be  one  of  the  happy  occasions  of  the  day,  and  if  the  interest  in 
the  work  is  real,  even  the  timid  children  will  respond. 

Some  typical  subjects  are.: 

The  Good  Time  That  We  Had  At  the  Picnic. 

How  I  Am  Training  My  Pet  Dog  to  Perform  Tricks. 

How  I  Helped  Mother  Saturday. 

A  Trip  to  the  Jefferson-street  Market. 

Ohio  River  Boats— What  They  Do. 

A  Shopping  Trip  With  Mother. 

A  Visit  to  the  Milk  Station. 

Some  Things  That  We  Should  Know  About  Safety 
First. 

Our  Experiences  at  the  Track  Meet. 
Some  Things  That  Little  Children  Could  Do  for  Our 
Neighborhood. 

A  Visit  to  the  Public  Library. 
A  Visit  to  the  Art  Exhibit. 

Some    Suggestions    for  Our    Day    at    the  Morning 
Assembly. 

Some  Funny  Things  That  Little  Children  Say  and  Do. 
What  We  Could  Do  to  Make  Our  School  a  Happier 
Place  for  the  Younger  Children. 
A  Visit  to  the  Country. 
The  Fire  Department  in  Our  Neighborhood. 


F  O  U  R  T  II  GRADE 


91 


Hygiene — A  SorRCE  of  Language  Material. 
(For  details  see  Course  of  Study  in  Science. ) 

It*  personal  cleanliness  is  a  part  of  the  First  Grade  course,  it 
is  also  a  part  of  the  Fourth  Grade  work.  The  same  points  that 
have  been  considered  in  First,  Second  and  Third  Grades  are  a 
definite  part  of  the  Fourth  Grade  plan,  presented  in  relation  to 
the  needs  and  interest  cf  the  Fourth  Grade  child. 

Lessons  in  hygiene  just  as  certainly  as  lessons  in  ethics  are 
inadequate,  if  they  fail  to  connect  with  a  responsive  activity. 

Htj(ji(}ic — ///  Relation  to  Nature. 

(/ontiuue  the  nature  experiences,  the  ''nature  play"  that  is 
given  in  connection  with  geograpln'.  Make  friends  of  pets,  birds, 
and  flov.-ers.  Study  the  conditions  that  are  necessar}^  for  their 
health.    Compare  with  conditions  necessary  for  our  healtli. 

Light— 

The  need  of  an  abundance  of  light. 
Proper  seating  in  relation  to  light. 
How  to  hold  the  book  when  reading. 
How  to  i)lace  the  p-iper  for  writing. 

Nature  Connection — 

Plants  that  turn  to  the  sun. 

The  plants  in  window  boxes.  Observe  movements  in 
relation  to  the  light. 

Activities — 

Co-operation  of  childi'cn  in  seeing  that  the  school  room 
is  well  lighted. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  teacher,  assistance  of  the 
children  in  ventilation  of  rooms. 

Discussion — 

The  use  of  individnal  drinking  cnps. 
The  need. 

Device — 

Co-operative  activity  in  relation  to  the  discussion. 
Suppose  that  Second  or  Third  Grade  children  are  going  for 


92 


FOUETH  GEADE 


an  out-of-door  excursion.  Fourth  Grade  make  individual 
drinking  cups  and  present  to  each  member  of  the  group. 

Send  with  the  gift  several  well-stated  reasons  for  the  use  of 
individual  drinking  cups. 

The  care  of  school  books — In  relation  to  cleanliness. 

The  School  Lunch — 
What  to  select. 

Wa^^s  suggested  in  which  we  can  help  our  younger  sisters 
and  brothers  to  choose  proper  food. 

Services  that  we  may  render  that  will  help  in  the  home. 

Examples — 

Cleanliness  in  the  yard. 
The  closed  garbage  pail. 

Carrying  in  the  milk  bottle  before  the  sun  catches  it. 

Seeing  that  no  colored  candy  is  brought  into  the  house 
for  younger  sisters  or  brothers. 

Helping  to  keep  out  the  flies  by  always  closing  the 
screen  door. 

Planting  and  caring  for  flowers  so  that  the  yard  will 
be  beautiful. 

Help  to  care  for  the  bed  rooms. 

Citizenship — 

In  relation  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  school,  suggest 
ways  of  keeping  it  in  a  sanitary  condition.  What  is  the 
contrihntion  of  yoking  citizens  f 

Book  List  For  Teachers. 

Woods  Hutchinson  Health  Stories — Book  One — The  Child's 
Day.  (The  reading  of  the  book  by  the  children  is  assigned  to  a 
higher  grade.) 

Krohn — First  Book  in  Physiology  and  Hygiene. 

Ritchie — Primer  of  Sanitation. 

Dunn — Community  and  the  Citizen. 

Lincoln,  Charles — Nature  Play  (An  outline  of  Nature  Study 
— reprinted  from  the  Popular  Science  Monthly,  April,  1914) . 
Jackman — Field  Work  and  Nature  Study. 


FOUKTH  GRADE 


93 


Personal  Safety. 

In  the  Fourth  Grade,  summarize  the  work  of  the  preceding 
grades. 

Arouse  an  interest  in  the  ''Safety  First"  campaign  that  the 
Street  Car  Company  fs  making  now. 

Read  the  placards  that  are  hung  up  in  the  cars  and  practice 
writing  some  others  that  might  be  helpful  to  the  passengers. 

Find  out  what  the  traffic  regulations  are.  Write  and  send 
them  to  other  grades  to  read. 

Make  short  "two-minute"  speeches  on  "Safety  First". 

LiTEiiATUKE — A  Source  of  Language  Material — Fourth  Grade. 
List  of  Stories. 

See  General  Statement  in  regard  to  use  of  stories. 
Select  stories  from  readers,  supplementary  material,  and  other 
sources  of  recognized  literary  value. 

Suggestions : 

Bible  Stories — 
Story  of  Moses. 
Story  of  Joseph. 
Story  of  David  and  Goliath. 
Story  of  David  and  Jonathan. 
David,  the  Shepherd  Boy. 
Story  of  the  Twenty-third  Psalm. 
Story  of  Daniel. 
Story  of  Ruth  and  Naomi. 

Selections  from  Norse  Mythology — 
Sif's  Golden  Hair. 
The  Story  of  Balder. 

Selections  from  Greek  Gods — 
Heroes  and  Men — Harding. 
Story  of  Euro  pa. 
Perseus. 

The  Golden  Fleece. 
Selections  from  Kipling. 


94 


F  O  U  E  T  H  GRADE 


Selections  from  Arabian  Nights,  as 
Aladdin  and  the  Wonderful  Lamp. 
Sinbad,  the  Sailor. 
Robin  Hood  Stories— Pyle 
Story  of  William  Tell. 
Story  of  Alfred  the  Great. 
Story  of  Siegfried. 
Swiss  Family  Robinson. 
Story  of  Heidi. 

The  Brave  Three  Hundred  and  other  stories 
from  Fifty  Famous  Stories  Retold — Baldwin. 

Selections  from  Uncle  Remus. 

Selections  from  the  Jungle  Book — Kipling. 

Selections  from  the  Odyssey — Buther-Lang. 

Hans  Brinker  and  the  Silver  Skates. 

Story  of  Grace  Darling. 

The  Bii»ds'  Christmas  Carol. 

A  Palace  Built  by  Music— The  Value  of  Co- 
operation. 

Rip  Van  Winkle — Adapted. 
Damon  and  Pythias — From  Ethics  for  Children 
— Ella  Lyman  Cabot. 
Continue   in  this   grade   the   training   in   appreciation  of 
beautiful  forms  of  prose  and  poetry.    Train  in  the  selection  of 
certain  portions  of  a  selection  that  appeal  to  the  children. 

Pop:ms. 

Review  poems,  learned  in  the  preceding  grades. 
Select  ten  from  the  following  list  to  be  made  a  permanent 
possession.. 

Select  other  fitting  and  seasonable  poems. 
(See  book  list  of  poems  at  the  close  of  language  outline. 
Page  125.) 

See  ''How  to  Study"  (chapter  vii),  by  Dr.  Frank  McMurry, 
for  the  method  of  teaching  a  poem.  Memorize  b}^  the  "thought 
getting"  process,  not  by  the  'Svord  getting". 


FOURTH  GEADE 


05 


A  List  of  Poems — Fourth  Grade. 

Jackson,  H.  H. :  October's  Bright  Blue  AYeather. — Poems  by 

Grades;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Jackson,  H.  H. :  September. — Poems  by  Grades ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Larcom,  L. :  Brown  Thrush. — Poems  by  Grades ;   Harris  & 

Gilbert. 

Tennyson :  The  Brook. — Poems  by  Grades ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Longfellow :  The  Village  Blacksmith. — Poems  by  Grades  ;  Harris 
&  Gilbert. 

Whittier :  Selections  from  Snow  Bound. 

The  Bluebell.— Child's  Calendar  Beautiful. 
Longfellow:  The  Arrow  and  the  Song. 

LongfelloAV:  Selections  from  Hiawatha  (Hiawatha's  Sailing). 
Thaxter  :  Sandpiper. — Poems  by  Grades  ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Lowell :  Fountain. — Poems  by  Grades ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Wordsworth:   The   Daffodils. — Poems  by   Grades;   Harris  & 
Gilbert. 

Key :  The  Star  Spangled  Banner. 
Longfellow:  The  Bell  of  Atri.  (To  be  read.) 
Bible:  Psalm  XIX. 

Miller,  E.  H. :  The  Bluebird.— Poems  by  Grades;  Harris  & 
Gilbert. 

Browning,  Elizabeth  :  A  Child 's  Thought  of  God. — Poems  by 

Grades ;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 
Wordsworth :   To  a  Butterfly. — Poems  by  Grades ;   Harris  & 

Gilbert. 

Coleridge:  Answer  to  a  ('hild's  Question. — Poems  by  Grades; 

Harris  &  Gilbert. 
C^ooper:  A  Summer  Day. — Poems  by  Grades;  Harris  &  Gilbert. 

Oral  English. — Fourth  Grade. 
Minimum  Requirements. 
A  Brief  Summary. 

In  order  to  achieve  the  minimum,  it  is  necessary  to  study 
the  entire  Fourth  Grade  course  and  the  work  of  all  other  grades. 

By  the  close  of  the  Fourth  Grade,  children  should  be  able  to 
talk  freely  and  with  pleasure.    The  ability  to  hold  to  a  point 


96 


FOURTH  GRADE 


should  be  well  developed.  The  children  should  be  able  to  think 
ahead,  and  to  talk  in  good  sequence  for  a  minute  and  a  half  or 
two  minutes.  This  should  be  done  without  prompting  or 
questions. 

They  should  be  able  to  formulate  an  informal  outline  to 
help  them  in  their  discussions  and  story  telling. 

They  should  show  by  their  inflection  that  they  have  a  feel- 
ing of  '^sentence  sense". 

The  work  in  paragraphing  that  was  begun  in  the  third 
grade  should  be  vigorously  continued. 

The  Pupil's  Method  of  Work:  It  should  show  ability  and 
h  eg  inning  skill  in  dealing  with  thought  units  in  study  work  and 
class  room  procedure. 

Children  should  be  able  to  recognize  and  to  use  in  relation 
to  thought  expression,  the  four  sentence  forms;  declarative, 
interrogative,  exclamatory,  and  imperative. 

The  direct  and  the  divided  quotation  should  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  oral  expression  of  thought.  Children  should 
be  trained  to  use  conversation  in  their  original  stories  and  dis- 
cussions. 

In  an  informal  way,  prepare  for  the  recognition  of  the  sub- 
ject of  a  sentence.  Give  certain  subjects,  constructing  sen- 
tences that  tell  something  worth  while  in  relation  to  the  sub- 
ject assigned. 

See  Third  Grade. 

Use  the  terms  subject,  sentence,  paragraph  in  conversation 
in  any  lesson  of  the  day. 

Form  correct  habits  of  speech  through: 
Conscious  imitation. 

Habitual  substitution  of  the  correct  form  for  the  incor- 
rect form. 
Repetition  of  the  correct  form. 
Make  a  note  of  the  common  mistakes  of  your  class.  En- 
deavor to  correct  those  errors.   When  the  children  pass  into  the 
Fifth  Grade,  give  the  list  to  the  Fifth  Grade  teacher  in  order  that 
she  may  know  what  mistakes  have  received  particular  attention. 

Habits  of  Correct  Speech.  In  relation  to  reading  and 
language,  try  to  secure  clear,  pure  tones.    Insist  that  each  child 


\F  O  URTH  GEADE 


97 


iu  tlie  class  should  be  heard  by  every  other  member  of  the  group. 
Traiu  the  group  to  listen. 

Study  the  miuimum  requirements  of  the  preceding  grades. 
All  that  has  been  assigned  to  those  grades  should  receive  re- 
newed attention  in  the  fourth  grade.  Remember  that  in  order 
to  achieve  the  habit  of  good  speech,  both  ear  and  tongue  must 
become  accustomed  to  the  correct  form.  Allow  no  variations. 
This  can  be  done  without  interrupting  spontaneous  expression. 
It  should  be  accomplished  in  a  happy,  friendly  spirit,  or  the 
result  is  disastrous. 

Pay  special  attention  to  the  past  and  perfect  tense ;  as  ^  I 
took.  T  have  taken ;  I  taught,  I  have  taught ;  I  did  it,  I  have 
done  it. 

''He  doesn't,"  instead  of  "He  don't". 
"Those  boys/"  instead  of  ''them  boys". 
"We  boys  will  do  it,"  not  "Us  boys". 
Correct  the  double  use  of  negatives ;  as : 
I  don't  know  anything,  instead  of  "I  don't  know  nothin'." 
"She  never  does  anything,"  instead  of  "She   never  does 
nuthin'. " 

Enunciation — See  points  outlined  for  previous  grades. 

Enunciate  distinctly  the  final  consonant. 

Correct  expressions  like  the  following:  I  want  "you"  to 
know,  instead  of  I  want  "chew"  to  know;  "Let  me,"  instead 
of  "lemme";  "I  can  get  it",  instead  of  "I  c'n  git  it". 

Writtkn  English. 
Minimum  Requirements. 
By  the  close  of  the  fourth  year,  children  should  be  able  to 
write  at  least  two  short  paragraphs  or  ten  or  twelve  sentences. 
These  paragraphs  should  show  that  the  children  have  a  well 
developed  sentence  sense.  They  should  be  able  to  write  a 
short,  interesting  letter.    (See  page  87.) 

Capitalization. 

Brief  Sinnniary. 
Beginning  of  Sentences. 
The  pronoun  I. 

The  first  word  in  a  direct  quotation. 


FOUETH  GEADE 


Abbreviations. 
Names  of  Persons. 
Names  of  Places. 
Title  of  a  Story. 
Title  of  a  Book. 
Days  of  the  Week. 
Months  of  the  Year. 
Necessary  Initials. 

Punctuation. 

The  period  at  the  close  of  a  statement;  with  abbreviations. 
The  comma,  with  words  in  a  series;  and  preceding  a  direct 
a  broken  quotation. 
The  interrogation  point. 
The  exclamation  point. 

Quotation  marks  with  a  direct  or  broken  quotation. 


Reading 

The  study  of  iiietliod  in  |)rimary  reading'  involves  the 
consideration  of  every  phase  of  school  experience. 

The  teacher's  problem  is  to  ])hin  and  arrange  the  school 
situation  so  that  the  child's  n^^ijonse  will  be  a  feeling  of  personal 
need  for  reading. 

The  lirst  step  is  the  realization  that  the  printed  or  written 
symbols  stand  for  a  thought.  The  recording  of  children's  own 
ideas  by  the  teacher  strengthens  the  sense  of  the  relation  of  the 
>ymbol  to  the  thought 

With  this  realization  couuv^  ilu^  desire  to  read  in  order  to  find 
nut.  The  child's  desire  to  know  the  thought  back  of  the  symbol, 
because  he  realizes  that  this  particular  thought  is  directly 
related  to  some  personal  interest,  furnishes  the  motive  for  the 
iM^ading  j)rocess.  Tn  this  the  teacher  finds  her  point  of  attack. 
Thought-getting  in  relation  to  some  particular  interest  of  the 
child  should  be  the  unit  of  ])r()gress  in  reading. 

In  order  to  secui'e  excellent  results,  the  school  must  not  only 
furnish  an  abundance  of  rich  experience  in  the  expression  of 
which  reading  may  find  its  origin,  but  it  must  utilize  the  child's 
life  in  every  possible  relation. 

The  material  used  in  beginning  reading  will  depend  much 
upon  the  teacher's  intimat^'  ac({uaintance  with  the  child's 
environment.  This  knowledge  of  the  life  conditions  of  her  group 
should  furnish  the  guidance  for  the  selection  of  reading  material. 
Frrfdom  in  the  exercise  of  init'ative  and  individuality  on  the 
pari  of  teacher  and  children  shoidd  characterize  the  work. 

As  child  activities  form  the  nucleus  of  every  phase  of  the 
primary  school,  as,  experience  of  real  social  value  is  the  central 
fact  in  school  life,  reading  should  not  be  taught  as  an  end  in 
itself,  but  from  the  beginning  should  be  used  as  a  tool  for  the 
•rainintr  of  thr)Ught. 


100 


EE ADING 


As  oral  language  and  reading  are  most  closely  related,  in 
general  the  sources  of  material  for  both  are  identical. 

Suggestions  for  Awakening  a  Desire  for  Reading. 

Create  a  situation  in  which  the  child  is  confronted  by  a  need 
for  reading  and  becomes  conscious  of  his  own  inability  to  meet 
this  need. 

In  the  literary  home  this  condition  is  quite  possible.  The 
child  may  have  access  to  interesting  stories  and  pictures.  It  is 
not  always  possible  to  have  some  one  read  to  him  whenever  he 
wishes  it.  The  result  is  frequently  an  effort  to  master  the 
printed  page  himself — the  most  natural  method. 
.  The  school  should  foster  the  same  spirit.  From  the  very 
first  day  tell  and  read  interesting  stories  to  the  children,  using 
attractive  pictures.  After  there  is  a  genuine  story  interest 
aroused,  select  a  picture  that  suggests  an  interesting  story,  but 
does  not  tell  too  much.  Read  the  story  to  the  point  of  intense 
interest.  Let  the  children  suggest  the  climax.  Instead  of  telling 
or  reading  to  them  the  sentence  that  gives  the  answer,  print  it 
on  the  board,  saying:  ''You  may  find  out  for  yourself."  The 
children  will  be  confronted  by  their  inability  to  read  the 
sentence.  Through  various  devices  the  teacher  helps  the  children 
to  discover  the  words  of  the  sentence  and  they  read  the  answer 
to  their  own  question.  Or 

A  story  may  be  partially  read  to  the  point  of  intense  interest. 
Then  the  teacher  suggests  putting  the  book  away  ' '  until  we  have 
learned  to  find  out  the  rest  of  the  story  for  ourselves."  Again, 

The  receiving  of  letters  forms  a  good  method  of  approach. 
The  co-operation  of  an  older  group  of  children  may  be  secured. 
They  may  write  and  send  to  the  little  people  a  short  letter  giving 
them  some  interesting  bit  of  news.  Arouse  the  children's 
interest  in  trying  to  read  the  letters.  Then  place  the  letter  on 
the  board,  the  teacher  telling  just  enough  of  the  Avords  to  help 
the  stronger  children  to  get  the  thought  by  the  context. 

This  may  be  used  as  the  starting  point  for  the  receiving  of 
many  letters  composed  of  a  sentence  or  two  giving  directions  for 


READING 


101 


some  activity  in  which  the  children  are  interested.  Or 

An  interesting  game  may  be  nsed  as  the  starting  point  in 
reading.  First,  the  teacher  formulates  in  short,  concise 
sentences  the  directions  for  playng  a  game.  As  she  writes  the 
directions  on  the  board,  she  reads  the  sentence  to  the  children. 
Later,  she  places  the  directions  on  the  board,  leading  the 
children  to  perform  the  action  without  her  reading.  Finally, 
she  selects  certain  Avords  that  are  to  be  added  to  the  child's  stock 
of  sight  words.  These  words  are  discovered  by  their  position 
in  the  sentence.  They  are  woven  into  many  sentences,  giving 
repeated  opportunity  for  thought  getting. 

Instead  of  using  directions  for  a  game  some  teachers  may  find 
it  better  to  use  the  story  as  the  basis  of  the  work.  After  the 
story  has  been  made  the  children's  own  through  telling,  they 
may  be  led  to  read  from  the  board  the  sentences  that  tell  briefly 
the  stor}'  as  a  whole.  From  this,  proceed  to  the  clinching  of 
certain  words  that  are  to  be  made  a  permanent  possession.  Select 
those  words  that  are  to  be  found  in  the  book  that  is  to  be  read 
first. 

A  simple  beginning  that  gives  the  personal  touch  that  is 
needed  in  early  reading  is  an  approach  through  the  children's 
own  names.  On  the  first  day  of  school,  give  each  child  his  own 
name.  He  comes  to  the  teacher  or  performs  some  simple  activity 
when  the  names  that  matches  his  is  written  on  the  blackboard. 
In  a  few  days,  he  reads  silentl.y  and  obeys  simple  commands  in 
relation  to  his  own  name;  as,  ''Find  a  new  toy,  John." 

All  reading  associations  should  be  pleasant.  Introduce 
incidentally  the  written  expression  in  connection  with  happy 
announcements;  as,  "Now  it  is  time  for  play."  "Do  you  want 
to  hear  a  new  story  ? "  "  You  have  been  a  good  helper  today. ' ' 

Some  poem  or  Mother  Goose  melody  may  be  used  as  the 
starting  point.  As  the  children  know  the  poem,  the  first  approach 
is  memory  work.  Then  certain  words  may  be  selected  and 
drilled  upon,  by  means  of  various  devices,  games,  and  repeated 
use  in  many  sentences. 

Some  teachers  may  find  the  shortest  approach  to  be  the  play 
rjctivitif's :  ms  "Tho  care  of   the   baby,   helping   mother,"  etc. 


102 


READING 


dishes,  table,  etc.,  are  broiig-lit  to  school  and  the  children  are 
playing-  ''mother". 

Thei'o  lias  been  preliiuinai-y  coJiversation  based  ux)on  home 
activities;  as  "The  care  of  the  baby,  helping  mother,"  etc. 
Lead  some  child  to  snggest  that  we  play  mother.  Shall  we  play  it 
is  baby's  l)irthday?  Shall  we  have  a  party  for  baby?  In 
getting  ready  for  the  party,  what  must  we  do  first?  What  must 
we  do  next?  etc. 

By  means  of  conversation,  get  orally  the  following  sentences, 
^vhich  the  children  will  memorize  in  their  exact  order: 

Put  the  dishes  on  the  table. 

Put  the  apples  on  the  table. 

Put  the  cake  on  the  table. 

Bri]ig  baby  to  the  table. 

Dan  may  come  to  the  table. 

Fannie  may  come  to  the  party. 

Give  baby  a  gift.     (Substitute  such  words  as  bird, 
book,  flag,  eat,  pail,  etc.) 

Lead  the  children  to  read  the  above  directions  silently  and 
act  them.  Then  let  them  discover  certain  words  that  are  to  be 
found  in  the  book  and  drill  upon  these  words,  using  devices  to 
make  the  drills  interesting. 

pRO.iECT  Worked  Oht  in  First  Grade  During  First  Six 
Weeks  of  Term. 

Miss  RffjiiKi  KJ<  ill,  Madison  Street  School. 

During  the  last  month  in  the  Kindergarten,  those  children 
who  were  to  enter  school  at  the  beginning  of  the  new  term  nuide 
a  playhouse  to  take  to  the  Fir.st  Grade  with  them. 

This  playhouse  offered  a  host  of  suggestive  ideas  to  he  used 
as  the  basis  of  language  and  reading.  Number  work,  games  aiul 
music  being  worked  in  incidentally. 

The  language  period  each  day,  which  usually  preceded  the 
reading,  was  spent  in  having  the  children  discuss  or  dramatize 
the  particular  activity  u[)on  which  the  teacher  expected  to  base 
that  day's  reading.  For  example,  the  first  day  for  language  we 
simply  talked  about  the  house,   its   arrangement,   articles  of 


READING 


103 


furniture  iu  it,  its  likeness  or  difference  to  our  home.  During 
tlie  reading  we  labeled  the  articles  of  furniture — bed,  table, 
chair  and  so  on.  Short  printed  sentences  giving  each  child 
some  activity  to  perform,  were  next  introduced.    I]]^i^+»^n^ion : 

John,  shake  the  rug. 

Mary,  dust  the  table. 

Jane,  make  the  bed. 
For  independent  expression,  sentonc^^s  were  given  telling  the 
'•hildren  what  to  do.    Example  : 

Make  four  beds. 

Make  two  tables. 

]VIake  three  chairs. 

Use  suitable  material. 
Label  each  article  df  furniture,  the  number  work  being  used 
in  counting  the  articles. 

Another  day  during  the  language  period  we  played  house; 
one  child  was  mother,  another  the  father,  another  the  baby,  and 
on,  until  each  member  of  the  group  was  selected.    Each  one 
})erformed  some  activity.    During  the  reading  the  children  read 
to  find  out  who  he  was  and  what  action  to  perform.   Illustration : 

Nell  is  the  mother. 

John  is  the  father. 

We  have  ten  children. 

James  is  the  baby. ' 

Mother,  rock  the  baby,  etc. 
For  independent  expression  this  written  assignment  was 

Set  the  table  for  dinner. 

Put  a  plate  for  ea(^h  member  of  tlie  family. 

How  many  plates  on  the  table? 
Material  used:  Blank  newspaper  and  scissors.    The  counting 
of  the  plates  gave  an  opportunity  for  number  work.   At  another 
time  we  played  party.    During  the  language  we  dramatized  the 
X)arty.   For  reading,  these  sentences  were  worked  out: 

Today  is  Mary's  birthday. 

She  may  have  a  party. 

We  will  invite  the  Mother  TJoosc  children. 


104 


READING 


For  independent  expression  this  assignment  was  given: 
Draw  Mary's  birthday  cake. 
Pnt  two  red  candles  on  it. 
Pnt  fonr  green  candles  on  it. 
How  many  candles  on  the  cake? 

Another  assignment : 

Set  the  table  for  Mary's  party. 

Pnt  a  plate  for  each  one  present. 

(Opportnnities  for  inference.) 

How  many  plates  on  the  table? 
Material  nsed :  Blank  newspaper,  scissors  and  crayons. 

Another  day  we  played  mother's  birthday.  Each  child 
bronght  mother  a  gift. 

John  may  give  her  a  book. 

Mary  may  give  her  a  chair,  etc.  , 
Independent  expression  assignment : 

Cnt  mother's  gifts. 

How  many  did  she  get? 
Label  each  gift. 

Material  nsed :  Blank  newspaper,  scissors  and  word  cards. 
During  the  part}'  those  games  and  songs  which  had  been  used 
in  the  Kindergarten  were  played  and  sung. 

The  playhouse  also  afforded  a  splendid  opportunity  for 
construction  work  and  art.  As  the  covers  became  soiled,  new 
ones  were  replaced.  They  had  to  be  measured  and  made  to  fit 
the  piece  of  furniture  for  which  it  was  intended.  The  decorations 
were  suggested  by  the  children  as  to  color  and  design.   Example : 

Make  a  cover  for  our  bed. 

It  is  four  inches  long  and  four  inches  wide. 

Make  a  cover  for  the  dresser. 

It  is  four  inches  long  and  two  inches  wide. 

The  children  read  silently  to  get  the  measurements. 
At  other  independent  expression  periods  new  articles  were 


READING 


105 


supplied  and  dresses  made  for  the  dolls.  Each  time  the  children 
readinor  to  find  out  what  to  do.    Example : 

Make  a  new  rug"  for  the  house. 

It  is  six  inches  long  and  four  inches  wide. 

Weave  it  in  the  stair-step  pattern. 
Tlie  playhouse  afforded  material  for  one  month's  work.  Of 
all  Kindergarten  experiences  tried,  it  was  found  to  be  the  most 
resourceful.  The  children  naturally  talked  about  it  and  played 
with  it.  The  only  need  for  the  teacher  being  to  ask  a  few 
leading  questions  to  get  the  group  to  discuss  the  particular 
activity  she  had  in  mind  for  that  day's  work.  The  teacher  was 
careful  to  use  each  time  the  activities  just  as  they  had  been 
worked  out  in  the  Kindergarten  by  the  children.  Many  times  a 
problem  arose  in  which  each  child  was  called  upon  to  contribute 
something  toward  solving  it. 

Beginning  with  the  IB  children,  do  much  silent  reading. 
From  the  very  first,  have  children  read  many  simple  directions 
for  doing  things. 

Rcmemher  that  the  silent  interpy-etative  attitude  is  the 
keynote  of  reading. 

This  does  not  mean  that  tliere  sliould  be  no  oral  reading,  but 
it  does  mean  that  every  reading  lesson  and  every  study  period 
should  furnish  abundant  opportunity  for  each  child  to  quietly 
get  the  thought  for  himself,  and  that  any  reading  that  is  done 
aloud  is  just  the  natural  effort  to  give  individual  interpretation 
of  the  thought  to  others.  This  type  of  oral  reading  will  naturally 
arise  in  relation  to  skillfully  directed  conversation.  It  is 
evident  that  this  procedure  will  necessarily  make  impossible  the 
type  of  drudgery  that  is  described  as  "hearing  a  reading 
lesson". 

From  the  beginning,  the  child  can  be  trained  to  look  for  the 
Avords  that  are  familiar,  and  to  infer  from  the  context  the 
unfamiliar  words. 

The  child's  reading  vocabulary  should  be  built  up  by  using 
and  reusing  new  words  in  many  contexts.  Formal  drill  with 
isolated  words  deprives  the  child  of  training  in  the  natural 
reading  process. 


106 


READING 


111  the  first  steps  of  reading  supply  many  opportunities  for 
the  absorbing  of  words.  Label  objects  in  the  room,  toys,  and 
pictures.  After  a  few  days  remove  the  labels  and  have  them 
replaced  b.y  the  children. 

I  se  devices  that  will  make  the  children  self -helpful.  Let 
them  play  ''matching  games"  with  a  little  teacher — one  of  the 
member's  of  the  group — in  charge. 

(See  The  Psychology  and  Pedagogy  of  Reading,  by  Huey.) 

(The  Sixteenth  Yearbook — Relation  of  Silent  Reading  to 
Economy  in  Education,  William  S.  Gray.) 

In  all  of  the  primary  grades  keep  in  mind  these  points : 
Work  for  prompt  attack. 

Remember  that  silent  reading  is  a  more  rapid  procCvSs 
than  oral  reading. 

The  rapid  reader  is  usually  more  efficient  than  the 
slow  reader. 

Comprehension  is  usually  greater  in  silent  reading 
than  in  oral  reading. 

During  this  year,  a  study  of  reading  will  be  made  in  the 
primary  grades. 

Mimeographed  bulletins  will  be  sent,  including  some  with 
specific  directions  and  reports  of  experiments  in  silent  reading. 

These  problems  will  be  studied : 

How  to  secure  more  rapid  reading  and  more  power  in 

accurate  thought  getting  ? 

The  medium  rate  of  oral  reading  (Standard),  according  to 
R.  H.  Lane's  article — Some  Phases   of  Reading  in  the  City 
Schools,  is,  number  of  words  per  minute : 
B2— 100;  A2— 105;  B3— 110; 
A3— 115;  B4— 120;  A4— 130. 

What  is  the  rate  of  silent  reading  in  our  own  grades? 

What  shall  be  our  basis  of  judgment  in  grouping  children 
according  to  reading  ability? 

Ways  and  means  of  increasing  the  child 's  reading  vocabulary. 

What  advantage  is  there  in  having  informal  rhyming  of 
words  ? 


READING 


107 


What  advantag:e  do  children  have  ^vhen  they  are  drilled  in 
the  rapid  recognition  of  phrases  as  an  exercise  apart  from  the 
regnlar  reading  period? 

AYhat  variation  in  procedure  slmuld  there  be  in  our  method 
of  teaching  weak  children? 

Experiments  will  be  made  along  this  line,  and  reports  sent 
to  the  schools. 

Book  List — Fn^sT  Grade. 

Natural  Method— First  Reader  (Text  Book). 
Art  Literature  Primer. 
Art  Literature  Reader — Book  1. 
Child's  World  Primer. 
Child's  World— First  Reader. 
Ford :  Nature 's  Byways. 
Free  &  Treadwell  Primer. 
Hiawatha  Primer. 
Holbrook:  Philip  At  School. 
Kendall  Primer, 
Kendall :  First  Reader. 
»  Murray:  Wide  x\Avake.  Jr.,  Primer. 

Peter  Rabbit. 

Robinson:  At  the  Open  Door. 
Story  Hour  Primer. 
Wheeler  Primer. 
Winston  Primer. 
Winston — First  Reader. 

\*(U)K    TjIS'1' — Sl-f'ONI)  GliADE. 

Natural  .Method — Second  Reader  (Text  Book). 

Art  Literature  Reader — P>ook  1. 

Around  the  World — Book  1. 

Ahline  Second  Reader. 

Art  Literature  Reader — l^ook  2. 

J  >a  Id  win  :  Fairy  Stories  and  Fables. 

Baldwin :  Second  Reader. 

I>ail('y:  Vor  the  Children's  Hour  -l>f)ok  1. 


108 


READING 


Bass — Stories  of  Pioneer  Life. 

Bigham — Merry  Animal  Tales. 

Blaisdell— Polly  and  Dolly. 

Bowen — Old  Time  Stories. 

Cook— Nature  Myths. 

Child's  World— First  Reader. 

Kendall — First  Reader. 

Kendall — Second  Reader. 

Moore — What  the  Pictures  Say. 

Mother  Goose  Village. 

Warner — Nonsense  Dialogues. 

Winston — First  Reader. 

Winston — Second  Reader. 

Young  and  Field  Literary  Reader — Book  1. 

Young  and  Field  Literary  Reader — Book  2. 

Book  List — Third  Grade. 

Natural  Method— Third  Reader  (Text  Book). 

Aldine  Second  Reader. 

Art  Literature  Reader — Book  2. 

Around  the  World — Book  2. 

Around  the  World — Book  3. 

Baker  and  Thorndike :  Everyday  Classics — Third  Reader. 
Bailey — For  the  Children's  Hour — Book  2. 
Bigham — Merry  Animal  Tales. 

Eggleston — Stories  of  Great  Americans  for  Little  Americans. 

Kendall — Second  Reader. 

Baker  and  Carpenter  Reader — Book  3. 

McMurry — Robinson  Crusoe. 

Moore — ^What  the  Pictures  Say. 

Morley — Little  Wanderers. 

McMurry — Fifty  Famous  Fables. 

Riverside :  Second  Reader. 

Riverside :  Third  Reader. 

Shillig :  Four  Wonders. 

Smith:  Holland  Stories. 

Stepping  Stones  to  Literature — Book  2. 

Winston :  Second  Reader. 


READING 


Winston :  Third  Reader. 

Wilson:  Historj^  Reader  for  Elementary  Schools. 
Young  and  Field  Literary  Reader — Book  3. 

Book  List — Fourth  Grade. 

Natural  Method — Fourth  Reader   (Text  Book). 

Around  the  World  With  the  Children — Carpenter. 

Art  Literature  Reader — Book  3. 

Around  the  World — Book  3. 

Baker-Carpenter  Reader — Book  3. 

Baker  &  Thorndike :  Everyday  Classics — Book  3. 

Baker  &  Thorndike :  Everyday  Classics — Book  4. 

Baldwin:  Fifty  Famous  Stories. 

Bird  and  Starling:  Historical  Plays  for  Children. 

Dodge :  Elementary  Geography. 

Fairbanks :  Home  Geography. 

Hancock :  Children  of  History. 

Luther:  Trading  and  Exploring. 

Mowry:  First  Steps  in  History  of  Our  Country. 

Perkins :  Peter  Pan. 

Otis:  Hannah  of  Kentucky. 

Riverside :  Third  Reader. 

Chamberlin :  How  We  Are  Sheltered. 

Wheeler:  Third  Reader. 

Winston:  Third  Reader. 

Young  and  Field  Literary  Reader — Book  3. 

Young  and  FiehJ  Literary  Reader — Book  4. 


Writing 


In  order  to  get  results  in  writing,  it  is  necessary  to  consider 
the  subject  in  relation  to  habit  formation. 

1.  During  the  regular  writing  period,  give  the  child  an  im- 
'pression  of  good  form,  correct  position,  and  freedom  of  move- 
ment. This  step  in  the  process  should  be  so  intense  that  the 
child  will  respond  by  making  definite  effort  in  relation  to  the 
one  particular  point  upon  which  the  entire  class  is  concen- 
trating during  that  lesson. 

2.  Repetition  of  the  effort  in  relation  to  a  natural  situation, 
the  every-day  class  work.    This  repetition  must  be  interesting. 

From  the  time  the  child  writes  his  first  crude  message  to 
mother  there  should  be  'motive — a  reason  that  seems  worth 
while  to  the  child  for  doing  good  writing.  Avoid  long,  unin- 
teresting written  exercises,  like  meaningiess  copying. 

The  pleasure  of  achievement  has  much  to  do  with  getting 
results  in  writing.  Arouse  an  enthusiasm  for  good  writing. 
Keep  the  child's  first  attempt  and  have  him  measure  his  own 
growth  from  da}^  to  day. 

Devices  and  Incentives.  Make  folders  and  keep  all  written 
exercises  in  that.    Fennam  ncu  adds  interest  to  the  work. 

Pin  upon  the  bulletin  board  the  papers  that  show  the  great- 
est improvement. 

Make  booklets  of  good  writing. 

3.  After  a  certain  point  in  good  writing  form  has  been 
taught,  allow  no  variations  from  the  results  gained  in  the  regular 
writing  period.  Refuse  to  accept  work  tliat  is  not  the  pupil's 
best. 

Aim  to  form: 

Correct  ideals  of  position. 
Correct  ideals  of  movement. 
Correct  ideals  of  form. 


WRITING 


111 


The  habit  of  invariably  taking  the  correct  writing 
-position. 

The  habit  of  using  freedom  of  movement. 

Tlie  habit  of  making  an  effort  to  produce  correct  form. 

In  order  to  get  these  results,  the  teacher  should  produce 
correct  forms  herself. 

She  should  show  the  children  how  to  produce  these  forms 
with  the  proper  freedom  and  control. 

She  should  exercise  eternal  vigilance  during  every  period 
of  written  work. 

Note — In  all  of  the  lower  grades  many  of  the  teachers  have 
found  it  helpful  to  substitute  tlie  visualization  of  words  for  the 
copying  of  words  and  letters. 

Measuring  Results.  At  least  twice  during  each  school  term, 
measure  regular  class  exercises  by  the  Ayres  or  Thorndike 
Measuring  Scale.  The  purpose  of  this  is  to  measure  the  class 
growth. 

Compare  results  of  the  present  with  results  of  the  past. 
Test.    Is  the  third  grade  child  doing  better  work  than  the 

,  mt,]i,1  n;vide  class? 


FIRST  GRADE. 

AV  KITING  1  1>. 

Motive.    Teach  writing  as  a  means  of  communication. 

Associate  writing  with  pleasant  experiences. 

As  soon  as  possible,  children  should  learn  to  write  their  own 
names.  In  the  early  stages  of  the  work,  letters  may  be  received 
from  the  principal,  teachers,  and  other  children  of  the  building. 
First  grade  children  write  a  reply,  using  a  very  short  sentence 
at  the  blackboard. 

When  paper  is  used,  write  short  messages  to  members  of  the 
family;  as,  I  love  you,  mother.  Children  should  never  be  al- 
lowed to  carry  home  work  that  is  not  the  best  that  they  are 
"'ipable  of  doing. 

Visualization  a  Means  of  Tmpresmu/  Form  and  Movement. 


112 


WETTING 


Begin  at  once  by  having  the  chikl  get  a  clear  image  of  form 
and  movement.  Remove  the  written  form  and  have  the  child 
produce  rapidl}'  from  memory. 

Copying  of  words  and  letters  results  in  the  painful  drawing 
and  patching  of  words  that  is  so  disastrous  in  later  years. 

Encourage  freedom  of  movement.  Have  as  much  work  as 
possible  done  at  the  blackboard.  From  the  very  beginning  have 
the  children  hold  the  crayon  properly  and  stand  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  free  movement  is  secured. 

In  those  schools  in  which  there  is  not  sufficient  blackboard 
space,  blank  newspaper  is  to  be  used  for  large,  free  movement 
at  the  desk. 

For  ten  weeks  encourage  large  writing,  and  simple  rhythmic 
exercises  in  movement. 

During  the  latter  half  of  the  IB  term  use  the  one-inch 
spaced  tablet,  making  the  small  letters  one  inch  high. 

Aim  from  the  very  first  lesson  to  teach  the  child  to  take  cor- 
rect position  and  to  hold  the  pencil  correctly. 

When  paper  must  be  used,  use  large  lead  pencil  and  Louis- 
ville Tablet  No.  1. 

See  Suggestions  for  IB  Spelling  as  spelling  and  writing  are 
identical  in  IB  grade. 

Writing — lA. 

Continue  the  rhythmic  exercises  of  IB  grade. 
Use  the  one-inch  tablet  making  the  small  letters  one-half 
inch  high. 

During  this  year  if  excellent  results  are  to  be  obtained,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  supervise  the  writing  carefully. 

For  this  reason  it  will  be  necessary  to  plan  the  greater  part 
of  the  seat  work  in  such  a  way  that  it  will  be  some  other  form 
of  expression  than  writing. 

Suggestions  for  seat  work  are  given  in  mimeographed 
bulletin. 

By  the  time  the  first  year  is  completed  the  child  should  be 
able  to  form  all  or  any  of  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  for  whicb 
he  may  have  a  need. 

He  should  be  able  to  make  all  figures  correctly. 


W  E  I  T  I  X  G 


113 


Note — Use  the  same  letter  forms  that  are  in  use  in  second, 
third,  fourth  and  fifth  grades. 

See  The  Zaner  Writing  Manual  for  Teachers. 

Material — Large  lead  pencil  and  Louisville  Tablet  No.  1. 

SECOND  GRADE. 
Writing— 2B. 

Study  carefully  all  general  suggestions,  especially  those  in 
regard  to  Motive  for  Writing,  and  Visualization  of  Form  and 
Movement. 

The  method  of  procedure  is  very  much  the  same  as  in  the  lA 
grade,  but  more  definite  results  in  position,  freedom  of  move- 
ment, and  correct  letter  formation  are  required. 

The  letter  forms  are  smaller  than  in  lA  grade.  The  spacing 
of  the  Louisville  Pencil  Tablet  No.  2  is  three-fourths  of  an  inch. 
Make  the  small  letters  about  one-half  of  this  space,  or  a  trifle 
smaller. 

The  aim  is  to  secure  not  uniform  writing  from  the  entire 
class,  but  uniformity  of  form  and  slant  within  each  child's  work. 
Material : 

Louisville  Pencil  Tablet  No.  2. 

Practice  Paper.    Same   spacing  as  that  in  the  Pencil 

Tablet. 
Blackboard  work. 
For  the  teacher's  use: 

The  Zaner  Writing  Manual  for  Teachers. 

The  Zaner  Writing  Compendium  in  the  hands  of  the 

child. 

Wkitinc} — 2  A. 

Study  the  suggestions  given  lower  grades. 
Require  more  x>^^itive  results  in  correct  position,  movement 
and  form. 

Require  immediate  response  to  all  writing  commands. 
Material.    The  Zaner  Writing  Compendium  in  the  hands  of 
the  child.    This  com[)enflium  is  to  be  used  as  a  means  of  pre- 


114 


WEITING 


senting  correct  letter  forms.  The  child  is  not  to  copy  the  letter 
forms.  He  is  to  study  them,  image  them  and  produce  from 
memory. 

Louisville  Pencil  Tablet  No.  2. 

Practice  paper,  spacing  the  same  as  that  in  the  pencil 

tablet. 
Blackboard  work. 
In  those  classes  that  are  mature,  pen  and  ink  may  be  used. 
This  is  left  to  the  judgment  of  the  teacher. 

For  the  teacher's  use.    The  Zaner  Writing  Manual  for 
Teachers. 


THIRD  GRADE. 
Writing. 

Study  suggestions  given  lower  grades. 

Work  for  growth  and  control  in  movement  and  letter  for- 
mation. 

Encourage  the  children  to  be  more  critical  of  their  own  work 
than  they  have  been  in  lower  grades. 

The  words  of  the  spelling  lesson  may  be  used  as  material 
for  drills  in  writing. 

Use  ink  and  pen  as  early  in  the  school  year  as  possible. 

Material : 

For  pupils'  use.    Zaner  Writing  Compendium. 

Louisville  Tablet  No.  3. 

Practice  paper  spaced  like  Louisville  Tablet — one-half 
inch. 

Louisville  Theme  Tablet  No.  4 — This  tablet  is  to  be  fre- 
quently used  to  put  into  permanent  form  good  re- 
sults in  writing,  English,  and  other  subjects. 

For  the  teacher's  help.  The  Zaner  Writing  Manual  for 
Teachers. 

Tests.  Measure  writing  results  frequently  according  to 
Thorndike  or  Ay  res'  Writing  Measuring  Scale. 


W  E  I  T  I  N  G 


115 


FOUETH  GRADE. 
Writing. 

Study  su§:gestions  for  all  lower  grades,  particularly  the 
Third. 

In  this  grade  the  child  should  have  gained  control  of  his 
muscles  and  should  have  formed  habits  in  relation  to  correct 
position,  freedom  of  movement,  and  power  to  produce  correct 
letter  formation. 

Train  him  to  measure  his  own  growth  in  writing  and  to  en- 
joy his  success.    Build  upon  work  that  is  unusually  well  done. 

Use  actual  school  work  as  the  basis  of  writing  drills.  The 
words  of  a  spelling  lesson  may  be  used  in  this  way.  Train  the 
child  to  see  that  all  movement  drills  must  directly  function  in 
the  more  accurate  formation  of  letters. 

Material : 

For  the  use  of  the  pupil :  Zaner  Writing  Compendium. 
Louisville  Tablet  No.  3. 

Practice  paper  spaced  like  Louisville  Tablet — one-half 
inch. 

Louisville  Theme  Tablet  No.  4 — This  tablet  is  to  be 
frequently  used  to  put  into  permanent  form  good  results 
in  writing,  English,  and  other  subjects. 

For  the  teacher 's  help :  The  Zaner  Writing  Manual 
for  Teachers. 


spelling 


General  Statement. 

For  excellent  suggestions  in  relation  to  the  teaching  of 
Impelling,  see  Chapter  III. — Principles  of  Method  in  Teaching 
Spelling  as  Derived  from  Scientific  Investigaltion,  by  Dr. 
Ernest  Horn — Eighteenth  Yearbook.  The  following  quotations 
are  taken  from  that  article : 

''Do  not  depend  solely  upon  the  incidental  teaching  of 
spelling. 

''Rules  cannot  replace  direct  instruction  in  spelling,  even 
in  the  case  of  words  covered  by  them. 

"The  first  step  in  economy  of  time  in  learning  to  spell  is 
to  see  that  the  pupil  learns  those  words  which  he  needs  to 
spell^  and  no  others. 

"Those  words  which  are  most  commonly  used  in  corre- 
spondence should  be  taught  earliest,  on  the  ground  that  the 
school  must  insure  the  correct  spelling  of  such  words  before 
the  elimination  of  pupils  becomes  serious. ' ' 

Those  words  needed  in  other  subjects  should  be  taught  in 
appropriate  grades. 

The  recitation  period  should  be  a  learning  period. 
Test  all  words  before  t'eacMjig. 

Better  provision  should  be  made  to  insure  that  each  eliild 
work  on  his  own  special  difficulties  and  no  others. 

Children  who  learn  to  read  by  a  phonic  method  seem  to  have 
no  advantage  in  learning  to  spell. 

The  correct  x>ronounciation  of  a  word  is  a  very  important 
factor  in  learning  to  spell  it. 

With  elementary  school  children,  it  is  apparently  of 
advantage  to  present  spelling  lessons  in  script  rather  than  in 
print. 


SPELLING 


117 


The  word  should  be  presented  without  diacritical  marks. 

Saying  the  letters  does  not  add  to  efficiency.  Even  as  a  test 
of  spelling,  writing  is  to  be  preferred,  since  writing  duplicates 
the  conditions  the  child  confronts  in  life. 

It  is  important  to  expend  some  time  on  drill  in  recalling  the 
visual  image  of  the  word  rather  than  to  expend  all  the  time  in 
impressing  this  image. 

Writing  a  word  is  an  aid  in  learning  to  spell  it. 

Proper  testing  is  an  important  factor  in  improving  spelling. 

The  following  set  of  rules  is  designed  to  embody  the  con- 
clusions of  various  experiments  in  economy  of  learning,  and  is 
in  a  form  to  be  used  by  the  pupil. 

How  to  Learn  to  Spell  a  Word. 

1.  The  first  step  in  learning  to  spell  a  word  is  to  pronounce 
it  correctly.  If  you  do  not  know  how  to  pronounce  the  word, 
look  it  up  in  the  dictionary.  When  you  are  certain  that  you 
know  how  the  word  is  pronounced,  pronounce  it,  enunciating 
each  syllable  distinctly  and  looking  closely  at  each  syllable  as 
you  say  it. 

2.  Close  your  eyes  and  try  to  recall  how  the  word  looks, 
syllable  by  syllable,  as  you  pronounce  it  in  a  whisper.  In 
y)ronouncing  the  word  be  sure  to  enunciate  the  syllables  carefully. 

8.  Open  your  eyes  to  make  sure  that  you  were  able  to  recall 
the  correct  spelling. 

4.  Look  at  the  word  again,  enunciating  the  syllables  distinctly. 

5.  Recall  again,  with  closed  eyes,  how  the  word  looks. 

6.  Check  again,  with  the  correct  form.  This  recall  (as  in  2 
and  5)  should  be  repeated  at  least  three  times,  and  oftener  if 
you  have  difficulty  in  recalling  the  correct  form  of  the  word. 

7.  When  you  feel  sure  that  you  have  learned  the  word,  write 
it  without  looking  at  the  book,  and  then  check  with  the  correct 
form. 

8.  Repeat  this  two  or  more  times  without  looking  either  at 
the  book  or  at  your  previous  attempts. 

9.  If  you  miss  the  word  on  either  of  these  trials,  you  should 
copy  it  in  your  spelling  note  l)ook,  since  it  probably  is  especially 

(^liffifiilt  f()r  ynw 


118 


SPELLING 


Conclusion. 

1.  Test  all  words  before  teaching. 

2.  Let  each  child  work  only  on  the  words  difficult  for  him, 
and  provide  him  with  a  definite  method  of  learning  them. 

3.  Provide  for  rigorous  reviews. 

4.  Show  the  pupil  his  progress  dail}^  weekly,  monthly,  and 
yearly. 

5.  Keep  up  the  interest. 

Teach  all  the  words  in  the  Ayres  Spelling  List.  Test  to  see 
what  words  the  children  do  not  know  that  should  be  known  in 
that  particular  grade.  Teach  the  words  that  are  missed  in  the 
test. 

The  following  points  have  been  tested  in  our  schools  and 
found  helpful : 

Words  should  be  selected  from  the  regular  written  work  of 
the  class,  and  used  in  written  sentences. 

The  final  test  of  the  child's  practical  knowledge  of  a  word 
is  his  ability  to  spell  it  correctly  in  a  written  sentence.  The  true 
test  of  the  child's  spelling  is  a  written  language  exercise  in 
which  the  child  is  interested  in  the  expression  of  thought.  If 
all  of  the  words  in  an  exercise  of  that  kind  are  spelled  correctly, 
we  know  that  correct  spelling  has  become  a  habit,  and  that  the 
child  has  practical  use  of  his  tool. 

Our  aim  is  to  have  the  children  form  the  correct  spelling 
habit. 

Do  not  accept  any  misspelled  words  in  any  written  work. 
See  that  the  word  is  written  correctly  before  the  lesson  is 
completed.  Avoid  the  first  misspelling  of  the  word  in  every 
possible  way. 

Note  the  words  that  are  misspelled  and  teach  those  thoroughly. 

Present  the  word  so  as  to  make  a  vivid,  clear  impression.  Use 
the  eye,  ear,  hand  in  fixing  the  mental  image  and  continue  until 
the  correct  spelling  of  the  word  becomes  a  habit. 

Pupils  should  be  taught  to  study  alone.  In  this  study  period, 
children  should  use  the  method  that  has  been  taught  them  in 
study  work  with  the  teacher. 

Teach  the  child  to  select  the  difficult  words  for  special  study. 


SPELLING 


119 


Repeat  the  use  of  difficult  words  in  sentences.  Teach  them 
again  as  if  they  had  never  been  taught  before. 

Children  should  make  their  own  spelling  books,  keeping  on  a 
separate  page  the  words  that  they  have  misspelled. 

Review,  review,  review  words  until  they  are  permanently 
fixed. 

Much  use  of  the  flash  method  should  be  used  as  a  means  of 
impressing  the  word. 

Summary :  The  successful  teaching  of  si:)elling  means  that  the 
law  of  habit  formation  must  be  followed. 

Step  1.  Through  various  means,  form  distinct  images  of  the 
word.  Make  a  vivid  impression  through  apt  association  and 
connection. 

Step  2.  Repeat  the  spelling  of  the  word  in  natural  relations. 
This  repetition  should  be  interesting  and  enthusiastic. 
Use  various  incentives : 

Children  keep  a  record  of  the  number  of  words  that  they 
have  spelled  correctly.  Measure  their  own  growth  by  the  work 
that  they  did  in  the  past. 

Take  home  review  words  and  show  their  parents  how  many 
words  they  have  learned  to  spell. 

Class  Co-operation.  Count  the  number  of  perfect  lessons  in 
the  entire  class.    Keep  a  record  and  measure  growth. 

Class — not  individual — competition.  Which  group  had  the 
most  correct  words? 

Step  3.  Allow  no  variations  from  the  correct  form.  A 
misspelled  word  in  any  lesson  must  not  be  accepted.  The  method 
should  be  positive.  Through  the  use  of  some  device,  remove  the 
incorrect  form,  substituting  the  correct  one.  In  doing  this,  the 
ingenious  teacher  will  call  attention  to  the  correct  image  making 
some  association  that  will  start  the  habit  of  recall  of  the  correct 
form. 

The  aim  of  the  primary  teacher  is  to  avoid  in  every  possible 
way  having  the  child  hoar,  see  or  produce  an  incorrect  form  in 
any  of  his  written  composition. 

Miss  Bessie  Meyer,  of  the  Louisville  Normal  School,  gives 
the  following  report  as  to  the  use  of- the  plan  of  teaching  spelling 
suggested  by  Dr.  Horn  in  the  Eighteenth  Yearbook: 


120 


SPELLING 


The  children  were  given  a  preliminary  test  on  Monday, 
concentrated  duriiio-  the  week  on  their  own  individnal  difficulties, 
and  were  tested  fi<>aiii  on  Friday. 


7 A  Class. 

Sixteen  new  words  given  on  Monday  to  25  children: 
8  children  missed  none. 
4  children  missed  1  word. 
4  children  missed  2  words. 
3  children  missed  3  words. 

2  children  missed  4  Avords. 

6  children  missed  between  5  and  7  words. 

3  children  missed  between  10  and  14  words. 
No  child  missed  all  words. 

Test  on  Friday : 

19  children  were  100  per  cent. 
2  children  missed  1  word. 
2  children  missed  2  words. 
*1  child  missed  5  words. 
*1  child  missed  6  words. 
*These  were  two  of  the  children  who  missed  between  10  and  14 
words  on  Monday. 

8A-B  Class. 


Sixteen  new  words  given  on  Mondaj^ : 

5  children  missed  none. 

6  children  missed  1  word. 

1  child  missed  2  words. 

4  children  missed  3  words. 

2  children  missed  4  words. 

8  children  missed  between  5  and  8  words. 
1  child  missed  10  words. 
1  child  missed  11  words. 
No  child  missed  all  words. 


SPELLING 


121 


Test  on  Friday:  Entire  8 A  had  100  per  cent. 
Altogether 

•   2'S  children  made  100  per  cent. 

8  children  missed  1  word. 

2  children  missed  2  words. 

1  child  missed  8  words. 
The  two  children  who  missed  10  and  11  words  respectively, 
on  Monday,  missed  only  1  word  on  Friday. 

FIRST  GRADE. 
Spelling — IB  Grade. 

Study  the  General  Statement  for  spellin<>'. 

There  is  to  be  no  calling-  of  letters — in  the  nsnal  sense  of 
spelling — in  the  IB  Grade. 

Words  and  sentences  are  to  be  written  on  the  board  or,  if 
necessary,  on  large  sheets  of  blank  newspaper. 

Select  words  and  sentences  that  are  related  to  some  simple 
activit}'. 

Create  a  situation  that  will  appeal  to  the  child's  feeling  of  a 
need  for  writing. 

Use  visualization  and  very  large  form  in  this  work. 

Whenever  necessary  to  refer  to  the  form  of  a  certain  letter, 
do  not  hesitate  to  call  it  by  name. 

See  suggestions  for  writing,  as  writing  and  spelling  are 
identical  in  the  IB  Grade. 

Si'ELLLN'G — lA  Grade. 

Begin  with  the  writing  of  short  sentences — those  with  a 
motive.  For  example,  sentences  telling  mother  what  has  been 
learned  in  school ;  sentences  based  upon  any  phase  of  language 
or  reading. 

Lead  the  child  to  see  that  there  is  a  need  for  certain  word. 
Then  teach  him  to  study  the  word,  using  the  flash  method  and 
other  devices. 

The  invariable  test  of  the  child's  ability  to  use  a  word 
correctly  is  its  use  in  written  sentences. 


122 


SPELLING 


Occasionally,  some  very  simple  memory  gem  may  be  written 
— the  child  learning  to  spell  every  word  before  he  attempts  to 
write  the  stanza. 

Or,  one  stanza  of  some  song  that  has  been  learned  in  the 
Kindergarten  may  be  nsed  as  a  basis  for  a  series  of  spelling 
lessons. 

The  following  songs  are  usually  familiar  in  the  Kindergarten : 
Sleep,  My  Darling  Little  One— Hill. 
Merry  Little  Snow  Flakes— Hill. 
Jack  Frost  Is  a  Merry  Little  Elf — Gaynor. 
Short  messages  for  Thanksgiving,  Christmas  or  Valentine 
may  be  written — the  child  learning  to  spell  every  word. 

The  aim  is  to  teach  spelling  in  relation  to  a  natural  situation. 
Note. — B}^  the  time  the  child  has  completed  the  First  Grade 
work  he  should  have  learned  not  only  the  name  of  each  letter  in 
the  alphabet,  but  he  should  be  able  to  repeat  the  letters  in  order. 

•     SECOND  GRADE. 
Spelling — 2B  and  2A. 
Stud}'-  the  General  Statement. 

Follow  carefully  the  suggestions  given  in  the  General 
Statement. 

The  Second  Grade  work  is  not  limited  to  the  list  of  words 
given  below.  These  words  are  suggested  as  indicating  a  basis 
of  selection. 

'  When  children  move  from  one  school  to  another,  they  take 
with  them  their  own  spelling  book  that  they  have  made  for 
themselves,  in  order  that  the  new  teacher  may  know  something 
of  what  they  have  had. 

Spell  words  that  are  needed  in  the  written  work  of  the  grade. 

Names  of  days  of  the  week. 

Names  of  months  of  the  year. 

Names  of  seasons  of  the  year. 

Words  from  one  to  one  hundred. 

The  terms,  north,  south,  east,  west. 

Name  of  our  city,  State,  country. 

Name  of  school,  street. 


SPELLING 


123 


Words  used  in  discussing  family  and  home  life;  as  father, 
mother,  child,  children,  baby,  babies,  friend,  neighbors,  home, 
cousin,  aunt,  uncle. 

Najnes  of  people  who  help  supply  our  needs ;  as  merchant, 
farmer,  baker,  etc. 

Names  of  articles  found  in  the  grocery  store ;  as  bread,  butter, 
fiour,  sugar,  etc. 

Words  used  in  connection  with  arithmetic ;  as  broad,  narrow, 
deep,  wide,  high,  low,  inch,  inches,  foot,  yard,  pint,  quart, 
gallon. 

Adverbs;  slowly,  quickly,  swiftly,  etc. 

Adjectives;  as  hard,  soft,  good,  bad,  beautiful,  pretty,  etc. 
See  the  Ayers'  Spelling  List  for  words  commonly  used  in 
letter  writing. 


THIRD  GRADE. 

Spelling — 3B  and  3A. 

Stiid\'  general  suggestions  for  spelling  in  this  outline. 

Words  are  to  be  selected  from  the  various  lines  of  the  child's 
every  day  written  work. 

The  Third  Grade  work  is  by  no  means  limited  to  the  list 
of  words  given  below.  They  have  been  prepared  by  Third  Grade 
teachers  as  a  general  indication  of  the  type  of  words  that  they 
nsiially  select. 

When  children  move  from  one  school  to  another,  they  take 
with  them  their  own  spelling  book  that  they  have  made  for 
themselves,  in  order  that  the  new  teacher  may  know'  something 
of  what  they  have  had. 

As  in  Second  Grade,  .select  words  from  every  subject  in  the 
school  cour.se  in  relation  to  any  written  work  that  is  to  be  done. 

Teach  lists  of  words  similar  in  sound,  as  words  that  rhyme 
with  field,  float,  wheat,  brown,  crack,  drink,  spend,  mend,  scratch, 
change,  paste,  etc. 

See  the  Genf^ral  Statement  for  spelling  as  to  the  use  of  the 
Ayers'  Spelling  Tiist. 


124 


FOURTH  GRADE. 

Spelling — 4B  and  4 A. 

Read  the  General  Statement  in  regard  to  the  teaching  of 
spelling. 

Review  words  outlined  for  Third  Grade  in  Essentials  of 
Spelling — Pearson  and  Suzzallo. 

Teach  the  words  given  the  Fourth  Grade  in  Essentials  of 
Spelling — Pearson  and  Suzzallo. 

Select  words  from  the  every  day  cl^ss  work  in  all  subjects. 
This  line  of  work  is  most  important  and  should  not  be  crowded 
out  by  the  use  of  the  book. 

Teach  correct  habits  of  study  in  relation  to  the  spelling  book. 
Teach  the  children  how  to  use  the  book  intelligentl3^  Form  the 
habit  of  selection.  Give  special  attention  to  words  that  are 
difficult.  Teach  the  children  to  select  for  special  study  the  words 
that  they  do  not  know,  reviewing  rapidly  the  words  that  they 
know. 

Aw^aken  an  enthusiasm  for  good  spelling.  By  the  time  that 
the  children  are  through  the  Fourth  Grade  they  should  have 
developed  a  spelling  sense.  The  spelling  in  all  written  work 
should  show'  the  results  of  careful  training  in  this  important 
subject. 

See  the  General  Statement  for  spelling  as  to  the  use  of  the 
Ayers '  Spelling  List.  . 

BOOK  LIST  FOR  TEACHERS. 

Gesell — Normal  (Tiild  and  Primary  Education. 

Ayres — Spelling  Vocabularies  of  Personal  and  Business  Letters. 

Aldine  Language  Course. 

Baltimore  County  Course  of  Study. 

Bingham — Fanciful  Fairy  Tales. 

Bailey  and  Lewis — For  the  Children's  Hour. 

Briggs  and  Coffman — Reading  in  the  Public  Schools. 

Bryant — How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children. 

Chubb— Festivals  and  Plays. 

Chubb — Teaching  of  English. 

Clark — Method  in  Reading. 


SPELLING 


125 


Buckingham — Spelling  Ability. 

Cook  and  0 'Shea— The  Child,  and  His  Spelling. 

Code}' — Language  Teaching  in  the  Grades. 

Eighteenth  Yearbook. 

Esenwein — Teachers'  Storyteller  Book. 

Haliburton  and  Smith — Teaching  Poetry  in  the  Grades. 

Hall  and  Hall — The  Question  as  a  Factor  in  Teaching. 

Horace  Mann  School  Curriculum. 

Hosic — The  Elementary  Course  in  English. 

Jenkins — Teaching  of  Reading  in  the  Primar}-  Grades. 

Kendall  and  Mirick— How  to  Teach  the  Fundamental  Subjects. 

Klapper — Teaching  Children  to  Read. 

Klapper — The  Teaching  of  English. 

Mahoney — Standards  in  English. 

McMurry — Primary  Reading. 

McMurry — Special  Method  in  Language. 

McMurry — Special  Method  in  Reading. 

Speyer  School  Curriculum. 

Strayer — Brief  Course  in  the  Teaching  Process. 
Suzzallo — Teaching  of  Spelling. 
Tidyman — The  Teaching  of  Spelling. 
The  Elementary  School  Journal. 
The  English  Journal. 


Poems. 

Poems  in  the  school  readers  and  supplementary  material. 

Alexander-Blake — Graded  Poetry. 

Beeson,  Katherine — Child's  Calendar  Beautiful. 

Burt — Poems  Every  Child  Should  Know. 

Field— Poems  of  Childhood. 

Harris  and  Gilbert — Poems  b}'  Grades. 

Longfellow — Hiaw^atha. 

McMurry — Songs  of  Treetop  and  Meadow. 

Mother  Goose  Rhymes. 

Stevenson — Child's  Garden  of  Verses. 


Teaching  of  English 


Grades  V.,  YI.,  VII.,  and  VIII. 

"Good  English  is  a  habit,  it  must  be  mastered  by  habit,  not 
by  rule. ' ' 

Learning  English  involves  hearing,  speaking,  reading,  and 
writing.  A  person  should  have  the  ability  to  express  himself  and 
to  understand  others. 

The  principles  underlying  the  study  of  English  are  the  same 
from  the  child's  first  year  in  school  through  each  grade,  and  on 
this  fact  should  be  based  all  work  in  the  development  of  language. 
Facts  and  principles  of  language  and  composition  should  be 
taught  and  used — taught  through  use  and  when  they  are  needed 
for  use. 

Mention  of  certain  facts  and  principles  in  the  outline  for  a 
special  grade  means  that  those  items  of  technique  are  necessary 
to  any  child  in  the  stage  of  advancement  which  the  other  work 
of  the  grade  implies.  The  teacher  shoidd,  make  sure  that  they 
are  positively  known. 

The  pupil  should  be  led  to  feel  that  he  has  something  to  say, 
not  that  he  has  to  say  something.  Each  sentence  should  be  a 
clear  picture,  not  a  haphazard  joining  of  words  and  phrases. 
The  logical  arrangement  of  thought  should  receive  careful 
attention.  Give  the  child  help  when  new  difficulties  arise,  but 
bold  him  responsible  for  what  he  ought  to  know. 

The  sentence  is  the  fundamental  unit  in  language  ivork, 
consequently  the  ynastery  of  the  sentence  is  the  most  important 
matter  that  the  teacher  has  to  handle.   Develop  a  sentence  sense. 

1.  Oraij  Language. 

Oral  work  should  always  accompany  written  composition; 
The  person  who  learns  to  talk  well  will  learn  to  write  well. 
Every  lesson  should  be  a  language  lesson.    Other  subjects  in  the 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


127 


curriculum  are  valuable  in  teaching  oral  composition,  as  they 
give  opportunity  for  free  expression.  Subjects  assigned  should 
be  definite,  vital,  and  limited. 

Indistinct  enunciation,  grammatical  errors  and  a  limited 
vocabulary  are  characteristic  of  most  of  our  pupils.  Pupils 
should  be  trained  to  talk  in  sentences  with  clear  enunciation  and 
in  a  natural  speaking  tone.  To  overcome  mumbling  and  indistinct 
articulation,  the  teacher  should  try  to  establish  the  relation  of 
speaker  and  audience.  To  overcome  incorrect  forms  the  child 
must  hear  and  use  the  correct  over  and  over  again  until  the}^ 
become  automatic. 

Each  teacher  should  make  a  list  of  errors  as  they  occur  in  her 
class  room  and  drill  on  the  correct  forms.  (See  study  made  iu 
the  Louisville  Normal  School.)  These  inaccuracies  cannot  be 
corrected  by  relying  on  lessons  in  formal  grammar,  but  the  fact 
that  the  pupils  in  these  grades  know  some  grammatical  rules 
will  be  a  great  help.  Technical  grammar  should  be  a  great  help 
in  rationalizing  the  use  of  the  correct  forms  of  speech,  but  rulea 
of  grammar  do  not  establish  correct  habits  of  speech. 

The  interest  a  pupil  takes  in  his  oral  language  depends 
largely  upon  the  type  of  subject  suggested.  As  the  pupil 
advances,  it  becomes  more  important  for  the  teacher  to  get  a 
real  dynamic  purpose  into  her  work  from  day  to  day.  Allow 
individual  freedom  of  choice. 

Commending  good  work  generally  helps  more  than  reproving 
bad  work. 

Written  Language. 

Pupils  should  be  able  to  write  an  interesting  paragraph  of 
clean-cut  sentences,  free  from  misspelled  words  and  grammatica] 
errors.  The  term  ''interesting"  carries  with  it  the  idea  of  some 
skill  in  the  handling  of  sentences  and  some  power  in  the  selection 
and  the  use  of  words  and  phrases. 

Do  not  attempt  to  teach  too  many  technicalities  at  once.  The 
result  will  be  that  nothing  will  be  learned  well,  and  the  pupil 
will  reach  the  Eighth  Grade  lacking  the  automatic  knowledge 
of  the  essentials  of  English  that  he  should  have  secured  in  the 
lower  grades. 


128 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


Good  sentence  structure,  good  spelling-  and  a  few  import  a  ni 
technicalities  thoroughly  mastered  constitute  a  task  sufficient  to 
take  up  all  the  time  that  should  be  spent  on  form  in  the  grammar 
grades.  These  points  of  form  should  be  taught  so  thoroughly 
that  simple  punctuation,  capitalization  and  good  sentence 
structure  will  be  matters  of  automatic  control  by  the  time  the 
pupil  reaches  the  Seventh  or  Eighth  Grades. 

Have  many  short  themes  w^ritten.  There  should  always  be 
the  feeling  in  the  pupil's  mind  that  the  theme  should  be  as 
correct  as  can  reasonably  be  expected.  The  pupil's  power  should 
always  be  measured  by  the  first  writing,  not  by  a  corrected  and 
rewritten  copy.  Interesting  and  spontaneous  writing  will  never 
be  secured  from  pupils  if  the.v  feel  that  their  work  is  to  be  judged 
solely  on  the  basis  of  the  errors  that  occur  in  it. 

Do  not  try  to  correct  all  errors  that  appear  on  a  paper,  but 
rather  concentrate  on  a  certain  one  or  a  few  common  ones. 

A  pupil  will  write  a  much  better  theme  on  a  subject  in  wdiich 
he  is  vitally  interested.  The  subject  should  be  concrete  and 
appealing. 

A  model  story,  or  a  model  description  is  of  great  value.  It 
should  suggest  and  recall  or  illumine  the  child's  ow^i  personal 
experience  which  he  is  trying  to  put  into  writing.  Through  the 
use  of  the  model,  the  skillful  teacher  leads  her  class  to  conscious 
imitation  of  certain  correct  forms  and  fine  expression.  The 
repetition  of  these  forms  leads  to  their  unconscious  and  habitual 
use. 

"Inspiration,  imitation,  practice;  these  are  the  guideposts  to 
good  English. ' ' — Mahoney. 

Fifth  Grade. 

The  l)asis  for  language  instruction  for  this  grade  is  found  in 
"A  Child's  Composition  Book"  (Hosic-Hooper) ,  page  1 — page 
149  to  Section  145. 

The  ''Round-ups"  indicate  the  essentials  to  be  emphasized 
and  the  drill  necessary  to  produce  the  desired  results.  - 

In  both  written  and  oral  composition  the  pupils  should  be 
taught  to  say  clearly  and  coherently  exactly  what  they  mean. 


129 


Well  organized  oral  work  should  always  precede  written  Avork. 
The  subjects  assigned  should  be  from  the  child's  experiences 
and  limited  to  his  ability. 

Use  reproduction  exercises  sparingly.  Emphasis  should  be 
placed  on  the  dramatization  or  the  telling  of  the  story  from  the 
.standpoint  of  one  of  the  characters  rather  than  on  the  direct 
reproductive  form. 

The  text,  ''A  Child's  Composition  Book,"  should  be  care- 
fully studied  by  the  teacher  and  the  work  so  planned  that  the 
pupil  will  u.se  the  book  intelligently  and  master  the  following 
minimum  essentials : 

Minhnuni  Requirements. 

Study  the  work  of  the  previous  grades  and  hold  the  children 
responsible  for  the  essentials  already  taught. 
Pay  strict  regard  to  technicalities. 

Oral  Language: 

1.  A  talk  of  two  or  three  miiuites  from  an  informal 
outline,  using  clear-cut  short  sentences,  express- 
ing definite  ideas,  holding  to  the  assigned 
subject. 

2.  Dramatization — 

Original. 
From  stories. 

Written  Langu a g e  : 

1.  Simple  outlines  planned  by  pupils. 

2.  Short  composition  of  one  or  two  paragraphs  on 
as.signed  subject. 

■\.  Dramatization — 

Original. 

From  stories. 
4.  Friendly  letters. 

Capitalizatiori  : 

1.  Titles  of  compositions. 

2.  Quotations. 


130 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


3.  Letter  writing. 

4.  Days  of  week,  months,  names  of  people,  places, 
etc.    Terms  of  address. 

Pimctuation: 

Should  be  taught  from  the  thought  rather  than  by 
rule. 

Paragraphing  : 

1.  Indention. 

2.  Margins. 
3  Unity. 

Quotations  : 

1.  Simple. 

2.  Broken. 

Ahhrcvint'ons  As  Needed. 
Sentence  Use: 

1.  Declarative. 

2.  Interrogative. 

Subject. 

Predicate — Predicate  Verh: 

Correct  use  of  forms  of  see,  go,  do. 
Correct  use  of  can  and  may. 

Correct  Use  of  Apostrophe: 

1.  Possessives. 

2.  Contractions. 

Dictation:  Carefull}^  planned  lessons  should  be  given  to  clinch 
and  check  work  taught. 

Useful  Helps. 

Standards  in  English — Mahoney. 

The  Elementary  Course  in  English — Hosic. 

Standards  in  English,  The  Elementary  Course  in  English, 
The  Yearbook  for  1916,  and  the  Language  Outline  of  the 
Louisville  Public  Schools  for  1915  indicate  the  work  in  literature 
and  give  lists  of  prose  and  poetry  that  can  be  read  by  the  children 
and  to  the  children.  • 


131 


Sixth  Grade. 

The  basis  for  language  instruction  for  this  grade  is  found 
in  "A  Child's  Composition  Book"  (Hosic  and  Hooper),  page 
149,  Section  145,  through  the  book.  The  "Round-ups"  indicate 
the  essentials  to  be  emphasized  and  the  drill  necessary  to 
produce  the  desired  results. 

The  pupil  should  be  able  to  make  and  use  an  outline  composed 
of  the  main  heads  of  his  talk.  The  subject  matter  should  contain 
facts  gained  from  history,  science,  geograph}^  and  literature, 
as  well  as  explanation  of  games,  defense  of  opinions,  incidents, 
stories,  and  summaries. 

Continue  the  fight  against  common  errors.  Each  teacher 
should  make  a  list  of  errors  as  they  occur  in  her  own  class  and 
drill  on  correct  forms. 

Train  the  children  to  handle  a  single  phase  of  a  subject  and 
to  stick  to  the  point.  Encourage  the  class  to  make  definite  and 
kindly  suggestions  on  the  subject  matter  as  well  as  on  the  manner 
of  handling  the  subject.  Kind  criticism  is  more  beneficial  than 
adverse. 

In  every  lesson,  insist  on  cle<ir  cnunciat'on  and  a  iiatnral 
speaking  voice. 

Continue  the  work  of  establishing  the  sentence  sense.  A  pupil 
who  has  had  six  years  of  coiitiiiiious  training  in  this  particular 
should  be  able  to  avoid  the  "comma  sentence",  the  "clause 
sentence",  or  the  sentence  loosely  joined  by  "ands".  If  the 
class  is  W(?ak  in  the  sentence  sense,  there  shoiUd  be  much 
blackboard  work. 

The  teacher  shonld  strive  for  variety  in  beginning  and  ending 
themes. 

Selection  and  arrangement  of  material  should  be  learned  in 
part  from  the  study  of  good  examples.  Pupils  should  be  able  to 
tell  in  one  sentence  what  a  paragraph  is  about. 

Occasionally  return  papers  for  correction  or  revision  after 
several  days  have  passed. 

Punctuation  shouhl  l)e  taught  from  thought  rather  than  b.y 
rule. 


132 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


All  work  should  be  made  vital.  Opportunity  to  publish 
stories,  dramatization  for  an  entertainment  or  an  actual 
biography  are  among  the  means  of  providing  strong  motives. 

The  text,  ' '  A  Child 's  Composition  Book, ' '  should  be  carefully 
studied  by  the  teacher  and  the  work  so  planned  that  the  pupil 
will  use  the  book  intelligently  and  master  the  following  minimum 
essentials. 

Minimum  Requirements. 

Study  the  work  of  the  previous  grades  and  hold  pupils 
responsible  for  essentials  already  taught.  Insist  upon  neatness 
and  careful  arrangement  in  all  written  work.  Pay  strict  regard 
to  technicalities. 

Oral  Language: 

(a)  A  talk  of  several  minutes  on  assigned  subject 
from  planned  outline,  using  simple,  clear-cut 
sentences,  expressing  definite  ideas. 

(b)  Dramatization — 

Original. 
From  stories. 

(c)  Choice  of  words — 

Abilit}^  to  discriminate  in  meaning. 
Ability  to  discriminate  in  use. 

W ritten  Language : 

(a)  Outlines  planned  by  pupils. 

(b)  Writing  compositions  of  not  more  than  three 
paragraphs  from  outlines. 

(c)  Dramatization — 

From  stories. 
Original. 

(d)  Letters — 

Friendly. 

Correspondence  involved  in  projects. 


133- 


(e)  Advertisements. 

(f)  Telegrams. 

Capitalization. 
Paragraphing : 

Unity. 

Indention. 

Margin. 

Punctuation: 

Comma  in  series. 
Comma  in  address. 
Comma  in  quotation. 

Sentence  Use: 
Declarative. 
Interrogative. 

Huhject: 
Complete. 
Simple. 

Predicate : 
Complete. 

Simple  or  predicate  verb. 
Strict  attention  should  be  given  to  drills  on  correct  use  of 
verb  forms  and  of  other  commonly  misused  words  indicated  in 
text  for  this  grade. 

Parts  of  Speech  : 
Noun. 

Pronoun — antecedent. 

Adjective. 

Adverb. 

Verb. 

F'ollow  text  for  extent  of  grammar  instruction. 

Dictation:  Carefully  planned  exercises  in  dictation  should 
be  given  t-o  check  and  clinch  work  tpught. 


134 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


Useful  Helps. 

Standards  in  English— Mali oney. 

The  Elementary  Course  in  English — Hosic. 

Standards  in  Enolisli,  The  Elementary  Course  in  English, 
The  Yearbook  for  1916  and  the  Language  Outline  for  the 
Louisville  Public  Schools  for  1915  indicate  the  work  in  literature 
and  give  lists  of  prose  and  poetry  that  can  be  read  by  the 
children  and  to  the  children. 

Seventh  Grade. 

The  basis  of  language  instruction  in  this  grade  is  found  in 
'^A  Composition  Grammar"  (Hooper  and  Hosic),  pages  1-139, 
through  Section  140.  The  text  supplies  ample  material  to 
establish  the  minimum  essentials  for  this  grade. 

The  various  activities  recommended  for  the  Fifth  and  Sixth 
Grades  should  be  carried  forward.  The  pupil  should  have  more 
advanced  ideas  and  a  fuller  vocabulary.  He  should  be  able  to 
apply  the  essentials  learned  in  previous  grades  as  a  help  in 
self-criticism  and  in  criticism  of  class  exercises. 

Continue  the  use  of  the  topical  outline. 

The  importance  of  making  the  work  vital  is  greater  as  the 
child  advances.  A  teacher  must  bring  much  skill  and  thought 
to  the  composition  period.  Definite  instruction  in  the  selection 
and  organization  of  material  and  methods  of  treatment  to  secure 
interest  should  be  given.  Analysis  of  a  similar  example  is  one 
effective  means  of  securing  this.  There  should  be  much  practice 
in  impromptu  compositions  with  a  time  limit  and  in  condensing 
several  paragraphs  into  one.  Unity,  sequence,  beginning,  ending, 
use  of  the  paragraph,  choice  of  title  should  be  taught  and  applied. 
Compositions  should  be  criticized  as  to  interest,  climax,  dialogue, 
and  setting. 

In  this  grade,  the  oral  composition  may  call  for  a  more 
sustained  effort.  Every  pupil  should  be  able  to  speak  clearly 
and  coherently  upon  any  topic  in  which  he  is  interested  or  about 
which  he  has  information.  Reports  of  home  reading,  story  telling 
and  organized  discussion  of  current  events  may  be  profitable. 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


135 


Several  topics  may  be  given  several  days  iu  advance  so  that 
real  preparation  can  be  made.  Continue  to  lead  children  to 
appreciate  word  values.  The  child's  stock  of  connectives  and 
transitional  words  should  be  enlarged.  Exercises  in  combining 
sentences  will  be  helpful. 

Cultivate  an  ear  for  sentence  euphony.  Assuming  that  the 
sentence  sense  has  been  established,  the  teacher  should  work  for 
sentence  betterment. 

Careful  use  of  the  exercises  in  criticism  as  outlined  in  the 
text  will  be  helpful. 

M inwium  Requirements. 

Study  work  of  previous  grades  and  hold  pupils  responsible 
for  essentials  already  taught. 

Insist  upon  neatness  and  careful  arrangement  in  all  written 
work. 

Give  strict  regard  to  technicalities. 

Oral  Language: 

(a)  A  short  talk  of  sustained  effort  on  assigned 
subject  from  planned  outline,  using  clear-cut 
sentences  expressing  definite  ideas. 

(b)  Dramatization — 

Original. 
From  stories. 

(c)  Choice  of  words — 

Ability  to  discriminate  in  use. 
Ability  to  discriminate  in  meaning. 

Written  Language: 

(a)  Outlines  planned  by  children. 

(b)  Write  short  compositions  from  outlines. 

(c)  Dramatization — 

Original. 
From  stories. 


136 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


(d)  Letters — 

Friendly.  ^ 
Business. 

(e)  Impromi^tu  writin<i'  of  a  paragraph  without 
previous  planning.  Limit  subject  to  chikl's 
ability  and  interest. 

(\(j)it<!li^(ifi()ii  (IS  Hfiussitfj  arises. 
PardgruphiiKj  : 

Unity. 

Indention. 

Margin. 

PlDictiidl ion  : 

Sentence  ending. 
Use  of  apostrophe. 
Comma  as  necessity  ni'ises. 

Sentence  Use: 
Declarative. 
Interrogative. 
Exclamatory. 

Su hject  Su hstemiive. 
Simple. 
Compound. 

Predicate  Yei^'b. 
Simple. 
Compound. 

Connectives: 

and,  or,  nor,  but,  etc. 
Modifiers  of  verb  and  subject. 
Recognition  of  object. 

Strict  attention  should  be  given  to  correct  use  of  verb  forms 
and  other  misused  words  as  indicated  in  text. 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


137 


Follow  text  for  grammar  instructiou. 

Dictation:  Carefully  planned  exercises  in  dictation  should  be 
jriven  to  check  and  clinch  work  taught. 

Useful  Helps. 

Standards  in  English — Mahoney. 

The  Elementary  Course  in  English — Hosic. 

Language  Outline  for  1915 — Louisville  Public  Schools. 

Standards  in  English,  The  Elementary  Course  in  English, 
The  Yearbook  for  1916,  and  the  Language  Outline  for  the 
Louisville  Public  Schools  for  1915  indicate  the  work  in  literature 
and  give  lists  of  prose  and  poetry  that  may  be  read  by  the  pupils 
and  to  the  pupils. 

Eighth  Grade. 

The  basis  for  language  instruction  for  this  grade  is  found 
in  "A  Composition  Gramma'r"  (Hosic  and  Hooper),  page  140  to 
•■nd  of  book.  The  text  supplies  ample  material  to  establish 
minimum  essentials  for  this  grade. 

The  work  should  be  constructive  throughout  and  the  con- 
nection between  the  exercises  in  grammar  and  the  practice  of 
correctness  in  speech  and  writing  should  be  definitely  and  ef- 
fectively made.  Let  the  studies  be  topical  and  progressively 
connected,  beginning  w^th  the  sentence  as  a  whole.  At  the  end 
of  the  year  the  pupils  should  be  able  to  explain  in  standard 
terminology  the  function  of  each  part  or  element  of  any  sen- 
tence which  they  can  compose  and  should  have  firmly  estab- 
lished the  habit  of  applying  the  standards  of  usage  in  self- 
criticism. 

The  pupil  is  expected  to  learn  more  about  sentence  manip- 
ulation. He  should  know  the  various  points  of  technique  that 
make  for  effect,  variety,  and  emphasis.  Care  should  be  taken 
to  secure  fresh  and  more  advanced  material  and  to  vary  condi- 
tions so  that  interest  may  be  kept  up  and  genuine  power  and 
versatility  in  speaking  and  writing  to  be  developed. 

The  teacher  will  find  great  help  in  studying  a  model.  Lit- 
erature read  should  be  used  to  teach  the  value  of  the  expressive 
word.    A  study  of  paragraphs  in  ''Rip  Van  Winkle"  will  be 


138 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


particularly  helpful  in  paragraph  development.  Lay  the  foun- 
dation for  coherent  writing  by  teaching  the  relation  between 
sentences  in  the  same  paragraph,  the  words  or  phrases  that 
carry  the  thought  smoothly  from  one  sentence  to  another,  from 
one  paragraph  to  another.  The  pupils'  stock  of  connectives, 
parenthetical  words  and  phrases  that  make  for  an  easy  flowing 
style  should  be  enlarged.  The  work  should  be  planned  to  meet 
the  ability  of  the  class,  to  round  out  and  complete  the  training 
which  the  course  as  a  whole  contemplates. 

The  text,  "A  Composition  Grammar"  (Hosic  and  Hooper), 
should  be  carefully  studied  by  the  teacher,  and  the  work  so 
planned  that  the  pupil  will  use  the  book  intelligently  and  master 
the  following  minimum  essentials. 

•    Minimum  Requirements. 

Study  the  work  of  the  previous  grades  and  hold  the  pupils 
responsible  for  essentials  already  taught.  Insist  upon  neatness 
and  careful  arrangement  in  all  written  work.  Pay  strict  regard 
to  technicalities. 

Oral  Language : 

(a)  A  short  talk  of  sustained  effort  on  assigned 
subject  (description,  narration,  exposition, 
argument)  from  planned  outline,  using  clear 
cut  sentences,  expressing  definite  ideas. 

(b)  Dramatization — 

Original. 
From  stories. 

(c)  Choice  of  words — 

Ability  to  discriminate  in  meaning. 
Ability  to  discriminate  in  use. 

Written  Language : 

(a)  Outlines  planned  by  children. 

(b)  Short  compositions  from  outlines. 

(c)  Paragraph  developed  from  topic  sentence 
(See  Standards  in  English,  Mahoney,  Eighth 
Grade  Outline). 


TEACHING    OF  ENGLISH 


139 


(d)  Dramatization — 

Original. 
From  stories. 

(e)  Letters — 

Formal  and 

Familiar  Correspondence. 

(f)  Impromptu  writing  of  a  paragraph  without 
previous  planning.  Limit  subject  to  child's 
ability  and  interest. 

Capitalization  and  Punctuation  as  necessity  arises. 

Paragraph : 

(a)  From  topic  sentence. 

(b)  Unity  with  some  attention  to  style. 

(c)  Indention  and  margin. 

Sentence  Structure : 
Simple  forms  of 

(a)  Simple. 

(b)  Complex. 

(c)  Compound. 

Subject  and  Predicate — Modifiers. 

Parts  of  speech  as  they  function  in  the  sentence. 

Dictation:  Carefully  ])IaiiJied  exercises  in  dictation  should 
be  given  to  check  and  clinch  work  taught. 

Useful  Helps. 

Standards  in  English — Mahoney. 

The  Elementar}^  Course  in  English — Hosic. 

Writing  in  English — Maxwell-Smith. 

Literature. 

Standards  in  English,  The  Elementary  Course  in  English, 
The  Yearbook  for  1916,  the  Language  Outline  for  the  Louisville 
Public  Schools  for  1915  indicate  the  work  in  literature  and 
give  lists  of  prose  and  poetry  that  may  be  read  by  children  and 
to  children. 


STUDY  MADE  IN  THE  LOUISVILLE  NORMAL  SCHOOL  IN  1917  TO 
DISCOVER  THE  MORE  COMMON  ERRORS  IN  PUPILS'  WRIT- 
TEN ENGLISH  (191  Papers  Examined). 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  ERRORS. 


GRADES. 


Fifth 
69  Papers 


o 

.  o 

o 


c  r" 


Sixth 
58  Papers 


O 

o 
c  r 


.  o 


Seventh 
33  Papers 


.  o 

c 

P5  S 


Eighth 
31  Papers 


.  o 

o 


a 

.  o 

o  ^ 


TOTAL 


191  Papers 


o  u 

c 
d  H 
J5  S 


.9 

3 

a^ 

.  o 

o  t 


1     1     1  1 

III! 

0  1     0  1         1     5  1 
2  1     1   1     3  1     3  1 

1         1         1  1 

1  !     1  |. ...!....! 

1        1        1  1 

1        1        I  I 
91  1  38  1  35  1  15  1 

17 
1 

2 

1 

6 

7 
1 

2 
1 

14  i  10  1  10  1  8 

....|....      5  1  4 

6 

I.    COMPOSITION   FORM           1  ! 

1.  Failure  to  indent  for  a  paragraph.  .  I  26  |  20 

2.  Failure  to  recognize  new  para.arnph  !  3  |  2 

3.  New  paragraph  with  no  chan.uo  of     j  | 
subject   I  21  15 


II.   SENTENCE  STRUCTURE. 

1.  Failure  to  divide  into  sentences. 

2.  Reiteration   

3.  Lack  of  clearness  

4.  Main  clause  omitted  

5.  Beginning  with  "but'  , 

6.  No  subject   

7.  No  predicate  

8.  Incorrect  use  of  al)l)revialions . 

9.  Figures  for  words  


III.  VERBS. 

1.  Present  for  past   

2.  Present  tense  for  present  participle 

or  vice  versa   

Passive  for  active  or  reverse  

Verb  not  agreeing  with  subject  in 

number  .  

Wrong  Sequence  : 

a.  Would  for  plain  past  

Perfect  Participle  for  past  and  re- 
verse (seen,  had  saw)  

Impossible    tense    form  (drawed, 

etc.)   

Wrong  verb  : 

a.  learn — teach   

b.  lay — lie   

c.  got — reached   


83 

35 

4 

4 

14 

12 

1 

1 

4 

4 

2 

2 

1 

1 

6 

... 

1  5 

I  .1  I  1 


I 
I 

21  I  14 

I 

2  I  1 
.  . .  .|.  .  . 


I 

I  20  I  15 

I 


I 

5  I 


I 

1  I 
1  I 

I 

14 
4 
5 
1 
2 


I     2  I  3 


IV.    SYNTACTICAL  REDUNDANCE. 

1.  Too  many  "ands"  and  "thens'..., 

2.  "And"  at  beginning  of  sentences.  .  . 

3.  "So,"  "well"  at  beginning  of  sen- 
tences   

4.  My  Mother,  she  


V.  CARELESSNESS. 

Omission  ot  word  

Omission  of  letter   

Wrong  word,  i.  e.,  when  for  went. 
Repetition  of  word   


for, 


VI.  PREPOSITIONS. 

1.  Wrong  preposition   (i.  e.,  in, 
during   

2.  confusion  of  preposition  and  con- 
junction   


12 

9 

.  .  .  . 

17 

11 

3 

3 

9 

8 

2 

2 

1 

1 

3 

3 

20 

15 

1 

20 

16 

14 

11 

8 

6 

21 

15 

1  15 

9 

21 

11 

9 

7 

4 

1  4 

7 

1 

1  1 

1 

1 

2  I 


1  I 


40 


22 


40 

1.5 

3 
1 
1 
13 


3  I 

I 

1  I 


1  I 
1  I 


40 

5 

16 


95 
5 

32 
2 

14 
3 
1 
1 

11 


38 
5 


22 

20 

19 

12 

14 

14 

8 

8 

4 

10 

7 

12 

9 

20 

14 

18 

16 

5 

5 

60 

I 

46 

33 

26 

51 

36 

32 

! 

13 

12 

STUDY  MADE  IN  THE  LOUISVILLE  NORMAL  SCHOOL  IN  1917  TO 
DISCOVER  THE  MORE  COJvtMON  ERRORS  IN  PUPILS'  WRIT- 
TEN ENGLISH  (191  Papers  Examined)  .—Continued. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  EIIUORS. 


GRADES. 


Fifth 
69  Papers 


o  r; 


a  u 

.  o 

o  ^ 


Sixth 
58  Papers 


IS 

o 

o 
=  t 


.  o 
o 


33  Papers 
Seventh 


o 


Eighth 
31  Papers 


TOTAL 


191  Paper! 


"a 

.  o 


o  ^ 


2 

a-o 

.  o 
o  1^ 


a^ 

.  o 

o 


VII.    NOUNS  AND  PRONOUNS. 

1.  Singular  noun  for  plural  and  re- 
verse   

2.  No  antecedent  for  pronouns   

3.  Accusative  pronoun  for  subject  .  . 

4.  Failure  of  pronoun  to  agree  with 
antecedent  in  gender  and  number. 

5.  Wroug  pronoun  which  for  who... 

6.  Myself  for  I   


VIII.  CONJUNCTIONS. 
1.  Omission  of  and   


IX.   ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS. 

1.  Quick  for  quickly,  etc  

2.  "A"  for  "an"   

3.  Omission  of  "the"  or  "a"   


X.  ILLITERACY,  COLLOQUIALISMS 

AND  SLANG  


10 


XI.  DOUBLE  NEGATIVE.  .  . 
XII.    ILLEGIBLE  IIANDWRITIX(; 


XIII.  PUNCTUATION 

1.  Period  : 

a.  Omitted  at  end  of  sentence  i  21 

b.  Omitted  after  abbreviations  .  .  .  .  |  16 

2.  Comma  :  I 

a.  Omitted  in  appositives   |  11 

]).  Omitted  before  direct  quotation .  |  1 

c.  Omitted  after  subordinate  clause  | 
when  it  precedes  main  clause.  .  | .  .  .  , 

3.  Apostrophe  :  I 

a.  Omitted  in  singular  possessive..!  0 

b.  Omitted  in  plural  possessive....!  1 

4.  Capital :  I 
a.  Wroug  use  in  common  nuuns.  . 
h.  Wrong  use  in  title  

r,.  Quotation  Marks  . 

a.  Omitted  in  direct  quotation.  .  .  . 


3  I 


2  I 


2  1  3 


15  I 
11  I 


0  I 

1  I 


67  .34  I  19 

10  I  6  22 

I  I 

I  2  I  3 

I  I 


16 
12 


3  I 


I  2 


I  2 


8  I  11  I 


12 


27  I 
2  I 
4  I 

I 

1  I 
r.  I 

2  I 


I  11 


29 
28 


20 
2 


104 

32 


15 


9  ! 


5  I 

2  I 

3  I 


40 


21 
2 
4 

1 

5 
2 


34 
3 
10 


10 


62 
18 


13 


